A Song of Steel and Fire
by Anath Tsurugi
Summary: Six years ago, Shaw kidnapped Charles in order to fuel Erik's anger. What might happen if he does it the other way around? Third in the "Key to My Heart" series.
1. My Lullaby

(A/N) And here we be in yet another installment. Hopefully, I can generate a bit more excitement for this one, as it's not going to be as slowly paced as the last one. I feel like I need a name for this series, but I've really got nothing except the 'Key to My Heart' series. Any thoughts?

Just as a warning to any new comers, this is the third in a series of stories and might be confusing on its own. I've tried to make it more user friendly, but…well…ah, who am I kidding? This won't draw any new readers, but all of you who have liked it have _really_ liked it, and I hope you continue to like it…whether or not you say anything. So without further ado…

**A Song of Steel and Fire**

_Chapter 1: My Lullaby_

"She's here!"

Alex's cry was soon taken up by Pele, who spread the word to the rest of the house.

_She's here! She's here!_

Both mutants quickly sprinted down from the second-story windowsill they'd been watching from, moving down through the mansion. As they moved, they began to see the other inhabitants of the mansion abandoning whatever it was they'd been doing when the call had gone out. They reached the main entrance just in time to hear the sound of a motorcycle shutting off. Pele flung the door open to the sight of a young woman pulling off a helmet as she dismounted her bike. Before either Pele or Alex could go any farther, a small blur shot past them and out into the courtyard.

"ROSIEEE!" the little boy shouted gleefully as he ran to her. Dropping the helmet, she caught him easily and spun him around as she hugged him. Most people still called Rose Kinross Artemis, as it was more than a codename for her and very much a part of her identity, but that name was still too much for young Eric Xavier to get his mouth around, so he just called her Rosie.

"Hello, little squirrel. I missed you. Did you miss me, too?"

"Mm-hm," he said, nestling his head against her chest. "I found a bird's nest today!"

"Ooh, was there anything in it?"

"Uh-uh. Daddy said there wouldn't be. The baby birds are all grown up now."

"You're growing up, too, Eric. You must be three inches taller from the last time I saw you."

Eric beamed happily at this. "I'm gonna be _this many_ next week," he announced, proudly holding up four pudgy fingers.

"I remember. I'm glad I was able to make it home for your birthday."

"Welcome home, Artemis," Charles said as he and Erik came out the front door with Pele and Alex. They were followed by a veritable procession.

Elsie and Alistair were the first after the two headmasters. They had married in the five years since they'd met, making Alistair Artemis' stepfather and Destiny her aunt. It was also through the change in last names that Alex's little sister, Haley, had been able to help her create a false identity to attend college. It wasn't safe for her to use her mother's maiden name, Lane, as she was still listed as missing, and her reappearance would cause a stir…maybe even expose the school.

Her parents were followed by Mystique and Destiny, who was once again pregnant…not with another couple's child, but with her own. Somehow, she and Mystique had managed it. The precog was about eight months along at this point, so she was really starting to show. Hank had also reported early on that the ultrasounds were showing what looked to be an honest-to-god tail.

The two mothers-to-be were followed by Hank, Sean, and some of the mansion's younger inhabitants. Sean and Alex had just finished with college and graduated in May. Hank had served as a research partner with Dr. Moira Kinross at the Muir Island Research Facility in Scotland for about a year before Destiny got pregnant. As for the younger crowd, the newly christened Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters currently had ten students, only three of which had come outside. None of the others really knew Artemis, as she was often away at school. It was Tessa, Jubilation, and Elliot who came out to greet her now.

"It's good to _be_ home, Professor," she said, smiling warmly as Alex rushed up to her and pulled her into his arms for a kiss, three-year-old and all. Little Eric's face wrinkled in disgust and he wriggled to get free, but Artemis held on tight, continuing to enjoy her welcome home kiss.

"Don't traumatize the poor kid, you guys," Mystique warned.

Alex grinned as he slid his tongue from Artemis' mouth, his forehead still resting against hers. "Pretty damn sure his parents get up to worse anyway."

"Language, Alex," Charles reminded him semi-sternly as he took his son from Artemis.

"Daddy! They were _kissing_," the boy whined, burying his face in Charles' chest.

"What's wrong with kissing?" Erik protested, leaning over to give Charles a rather sloppy smack on the lips, which he returned eagerly.

"Eww!" Eric complained loudly, wriggling some more in an effort to interrupt all the kissing.

"You don't like it?" Erik asked, giving the boy a kiss on the cheek.

"Papaaa!"

"How about this, then?" he suggested, twisting their son around in Charles' arms. Taking his cue, Charles supported his upper body while Erik held onto his legs with one hand and lifted his shirt with the other, giving him a raspberry. Eric squealed with delighted laughter. Once Erik had finished, Charles took the boy back, spinning him around briefly before setting him back on his feet.

"Go on and play, sweetie. The adults need to talk now. I'm sure Rosie would love to see your new toys later."

Eric nodded, grinning and waving at Artemis before darting back inside.

"How was London?" Elsie asked Artemis as she came to give her a hug. Artemis had finished with her junior year back in April, but she'd spent the last few months in London on a summer term, taking an extended course in British literature with an emphasis on Shakespeare.

"Amazing. Everything's just so…_different_, even though we speak essentially the same language."

"Well, you can tell us all about it over tea," Charles said, moving to lead the way back into the house. "And I believe Erik's making Japanese for dinner tonight. We know how much you love it."

XxX

The figure in the white cloak astride the camel looked distinctly out of place riding into the oasis. The darkness of the desert was broken by the lights from a small camp concealed within the fertile patch and several men, armed with both blades and guns, stepped from the shadows at the stranger's approach.

One of the men said something in Arabic to the cloaked figure, but the only response he received was a girlish giggle. The stranger held up a white-gloved hand and the head guard blinked several times before slumping to the ground before the camel, fast asleep.

The other guards instantly raised their weapons, but a voice from inside one of the tents suddenly gave a harsh command in Arabic. Instantly, the men backed off. The new arrival slid gracefully down from her mount and one of the men came forward to tend to the animal. The group parted like the Red Sea before Moses to allow the cloaked figure through to the tent.

Inside, a woman with tan skin, long, dark hair, and brown eyes lay sprawled out on a couch. Her slender body was covered with a blanket made of semi-sheer fabric and she was clearly naked beneath it. Smirking, she surveyed her guest for several moments before reaching over to a side table and plucking a date from a bowl there.

"You _do_ love your entrances, don't you, Emma," she said as she rolled the fruit between her fingers.

The figure swept back the hood of her cloak, revealing none other than Emma Frost, who returned the smirk. "I'd say we _all_ have that in common, Selene. Isn't this whole set up a little much?"

"Well, like you and Shaw, I like to live…as befits my station. If you'll remember, I _know_ how a goddess ought to be treated. Mulled wine?" she offered, slowly sitting up, the thin fabric barely clinging to her breasts.

"Absolutely," Emma said, coming to take a seat beside the darker woman on the ornate couch. Selene reached for the jug on the table and poured her associate a goblet.

"So how are the little ones doing?" Selene asked as Emma took a long drink.

"They're both doing fine," the telepath answered primly. Just as Blindfold had foretold five years ago, she'd given birth to twin children. It had been right around the time she'd been starting to show that she'd suggested to Shaw her talents would be of best use assisting Selene with her work in the Middle East. Shaw had agreed without suspicion. After all, he had all the telepath he needed in little Blindfold for the moment. So Emma had been able to hide out during the rest of her pregnancy. Selene had never liked Shaw, and knowing this, Emma had known she was really the only person she could go to for help in this. She'd helped her to bear the twins in secret and also helped her to find good homes for them.

The girl, whom Emma had named Esme, had gone to a family of Blackfoot Indians living in Canada: the Silverfoxes. Emma had chosen them because they had a ten-year-old mutant daughter, Kayla, and they were treating her well. Certain that her daughter couldn't be anything but a mutant, she'd planned for her safety in this respect. The same went for the boy, whom she'd named Gareth. He had been placed with a mutant couple in California who couldn't have any children of their own.

If she were honest with herself, the safest place for her children probably would have been Xavier's new school, especially since Shaw had decided not to attack the place anymore, either directly or indirectly, because it was now actively a mutant sanctuary. She, however, did not want to place her children in Xavier's hands if she could help it. So they lived their lives anonymously, unaware of their powerful lineage, far from the conflicts between mutant and human, and she would secretly check in on them from time to time. Just now had been such a time, as the twins had just turned four a few months ago. They both seemed healthy and happy thus far. No signs of mutation yet, but who could say when that would happen.

"And how is your work here?" Emma asked, sipping from her goblet.

"Chaos. Everything here is absolute chaos. Havoc as there hasn't been since the dawn of the millennium," Selene said, taking an almost sensual delight in this fact. "It's like I've been telling Shaw, we don't need to destroy them all at once. Give them enough time and these humans will surely destroy them_selves_ for our amusement."

"Well, forgive me if some of us don't have quite as much time to kill as you do. Sometimes it amazes me you and Sebastian don't get along better than you do," she said, an odd look coming into her eyes.

"Well, we immortals tend to bore each other. Besides, he's still young as far as an immortal goes."

"There are others…besides the two of you?"

"A few. There could be more I haven't met. As far as I know, though, I'm the oldest…probably the first mutant to ever exist."

Emma would never say it out loud, of course, but if that last statement were true, Selene wasn't so far off in calling herself a goddess, even among mutants.

"So how _are_ our Sebastian's plots playing out?" Selene asked, smirking condescendingly as she plucked another date from the bowl.

"Well enough. We don't need to worry about the Americans at the moment. They're destroying their own credibility in Vietnam without any help."

"I told you so."

"He's been…working on something for it…with the information Wyngarde got from the CIA…but he's not focusing on it like he should. Blindfold's said…it's time to awaken the Xavier boy."

"Ah, this little _chosen one_ we've all been hearing so much about," Selene drawled, rolling her eyes. "He relies on that girl a little too much, I think. Although…she's not so much of a girl anymore, is she."

"Heh, she was a woman already, even _when_ she was a girl."

"Still, now it shows on the surface. Eighteen…he _favors_ her, doesn't he," the ancient mutant goaded her associate.

"To a degree," Emma snipped. "Sometimes it worries me that he takes her word as gospel. I feel like he's focusing on Xavier and Lehnsherr a little _too_ much. He's been fixated on them ever since what happened in the camp…them and their offspring."

"Well, Xavier is well worth being fixated on. Jason believed _he_ was the one we should put our faith in…and I think _you_ believe it, too. After all…you've _seen_ his power."

"Yes," Emma said quietly. Onslaught was not a sight so easily forgotten. Charles Xavier could easily destroy the humans…if he could only be convinced it was the right thing to do. Perhaps _that_ was the reason Sebastian was focusing so intensely on the professor's son. Maybe it was about _more_ than just awakening Eric Xavier as a mutant…and if that were so, perhaps her fears for the man's sanity weren't quite as founded as she'd thought.

XxX

One would hardly think the kitchen of the Xavier mansion was a suitable place to hold meetings. For one, it was a kitchen; for two, knives were usually flying haphazardly about the space, as it had become Erik's own personal playground. Anything plastic or wooden in the kitchen had long since been replaced with metal so Erik could summon anything he needed to him freely and manipulate several things at once. As he was pretty much already a gourmet cook, his new challenge was to see how many things he could do at once through the use of his power. Currently, he was manipulating several knives in order to chop raw fish for tonight's dinner. It was because of the whole knife business that Charles asked the students to steer clear of the kitchen when Erik was working. As such, the place was a desirable spot for serious and semi-serious discussions. 'The adults', as Charles had called them, consisted of himself, Erik, Destiny, Mystique, Alistair, Elsie, Sean, Hank, and Pele. Normally, Alex and Artemis were part of the group, too, but they were…otherwise occupied at the moment.

Pele counted among their number, even though she was only thirteen. Being a telepath, she was vastly mature for her age…even though she didn't look it half the time. She was settling into the role of teenager well. She had died several highlights of red into her black hair, which she had grown long again after her brain surgery on Muir Island. She had had her ears and belly button pierced and had abandoned her study of classical music in favor of the guitar, drums, and rock records. Really, the only thing missing was a tattoo, which Charles half-wished he could draw the line at, but as he constantly had to remind himself, he was her friend, not her father. Pele was her own person.

"So where _are_ Artemis and Alex?" Hank asked, still a bit naïve, even after all these years.

"Oh, they're just…very happy to see each other," Pele said through slightly grit teeth. As much as they wanted to, she and Charles couldn't completely shut out the very…animalistic waves coming from Artemis' room.

Hank closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead, clearly asking himself why he'd even asked in the first place. Elsie sighed, trying not to think about it. Alistair gave a knowing smile as he rested a hand on his wife's knee.

"Give the lovebirds a break. They've been apart for a few months, after all…and they're young yet."

"True enough," Charles conceded. He certainly couldn't blame them when, as Alex had said, he and Erik got up to much worse after the children were asleep.

"So what's the word?" Sean asked, somehow the first to get back on track. "You said you had something on the Hell spawn."

"Maybe," the elder telepath said slowly, not looking at any of them. "I was working in Cerebro yesterday and I was contacted."

"By whom?" Hank asked. "No one should be able to do that." With all the power that was behind Cerebro, it was dangerous to form any sort of direct link. Such a connection could easily kill Charles and whomever he was linked to.

"That isn't quite true, Hank. You _know_ that. Someone managed it once before…and it was her again…Blindfold…Shaw's seer."

"And did she…show you the future?" Destiny asked gravely.

"Not…as such, no…not like before…but she did _say_ something."

"What?" Pele asked.

"Only that…the war is about to get much worse."

"The only question is…" Erik continued, not even looking up from his work.

"Which war did she mean?" Mystique finished.

"The war in Vietnam has never been worse," Charles said quietly. Here in their own little world, they were somewhat cushioned from events in the world at large, which the professor was grateful for, but that didn't mean the world wasn't still turning.

"But it could also mean they're planning to attack us again," Hank said.

"That was really all she contacted you to say?" Destiny asked.

"I know, I know," Charles sighed. "Precogs have very specific designs…but that's really all she said."

"I think they're just trying to scare us," Erik pointed out, the fish he was working on receiving several particularly violent chops. "We won't really _know_ until something happens."

"And we're supposed to believe that _you_, Erik Lehnsherr, are taking a 'wait and see' attitude?" Mystique asked, clearly skeptical.

"Have you got something else?" Erik shot back, still not looking at them.

"No…but it still just…really isn't like you."

"I promise you, Mystique, until we know more, we do best to be sure we're securely fortified here. We're on the defensive right now."

No one said anything, but of course they all suspected it…there was something Charles wasn't telling them that he'd already told Erik. What else would cause Erik to willingly choose to play the defensive? And what could Charles not tell them that he _could_ tell Erik?

More than likely…it was something to do with Eric.

XxX

Blindfold never made any sound when in bed with Shaw…and she knew it drove him crazy, which was why, she knew, he kept coming back to her. Whatever else could be said of Sebastian Shaw, he undeniably knew his way around a bedroom. When he couldn't get one girl to cry out, he took it as something of a personal challenge to make her.

After yet another unsuccessful attempt, Shaw found himself anxiously lighting up a cigar while the dark-haired young woman climbed from the bed and went for her robe, going to the balcony of the room to cool off.

"Did he believe you?" Shaw couldn't help asking. Blindfold laughed quietly.

"There wasn't much to _dis_believe. Any war can _only_ get worse before it gets better…and I imagine Xavier would take any threat to his son seriously. He knows we're coming; he just doesn't know when," she said, sitting down on the balcony ledge and "looking" out onto the estate.

"And you're sure this is the time?" he asked yet again.

"Sometimes I think you intentionally misunderstand me. I told you this is _a_ time. Nothing is certain. This can go one of many ways. If your plan works, now is the time _you_ will benefit from Eric Xavier's potential. If his manifestation occurs later, his potential will go to…someone else," she said, the smug expression on her face hidden from her captor.

"But…you _are_ certain this plan will awaken Onslaught?" he continued to press.

"Why do you keep me around if you don't trust my predictions?" she challenged lightly, turning her head back in his direction.

Shaw chuckled, continuing to puff on his cigar as he went to join her. "You're a little snake, you know that?" he said, draping a possessive arm around her shoulders.

"I know it, but you still haven't really listened. What I've said to you before is that it _can_ awaken him. It depends on what happens to the boy. He _almost_ awoke five years ago…"

"But Erik prevented it…yet again," Shaw finished, no small note of bitterness in his voice. "I'll have to deal with him this time."

"Could you really, though?" I think you enjoy playing with him a little too much to ever actually kill him," Blindfold said, smirking.

"Dealing with doesn't necessarily mean killing. After all, my dear, there are things _so_ much worse than death."

_This I know…Sebastian Shaw._

XxX

While July 21st was technically both Erik's and their son's birthday, the older Erik's date of birth was something he and Charles celebrated in private. Apart from the fact that _Charles_ was certainly happy he'd been born, Erik Lehnsherr didn't much like to remember that he had a birthday. Really, the only things he liked about the day were how happy it made Charles and the fact that Eric had been born that day. The last three July 21sts had been bliss for the small family. A little 'them' time in the morning before Eric was awake, then the rest of the day was for their little boy.

It was the same this July 21st. Even though Erik had no love of chocolate, his son had somehow become nearly obsessed with it, so he made him a chocolate cake: a large one for the family, the students, and their two other guests, Haley and her three-year-old son, Scott. The two boys were, of course, close in age and played very well together. Haley and Scott were becoming more a part of their family all the time…especially since they now had very little to tie them to their human family, as Haley's husband, Chris, had been killed in action in Vietnam. The grief had been very hard on the proud, tough-as-nails young mother, who had received the news only a few weeks after Scott was born. She'd had to deal with the knowledge that Chris would never know their son and Scott would grow up without a father…and she would more than likely grow old alone…but Alex and his own odd little family of misfits had helped her through the bad times and somehow drawn her and her baby into their own warm circle, a shelter for them…celebrating birthdays and holidays together as families should.

Presents had already been opened and cake and ice cream had already been served. Now all the party guests were sitting around the clutch of picnic tables talking and grazing while Eric, Scott, and Elliot, youngest of the students at only six, were off playing with Eric's new toy train.

"So, Haley," Charles began as he finished off his last bite of ice cream, "have you had a chance to look into schools for Scott yet?"

"Seriously, Prof? He's only three," she said, rolling her eyes in an effort to mask the fact that yes, she had actually been working on that very thing.

"It's never too early to start."

"What are you going to do about Eric?" she countered.

"Well…I suppose you could call it home schooling, though our home does technically count as a school. Elsie's certified from nursery up through middle school. You could always let him come here, you know?"

"But…would that be all right…even if he's not a mutant?" she pondered.

"Of course it's all right. You're practically family, Haley. We don't yet know if Eric's a mutant, either," Charles pointed out, ignoring the undisguised glare he knew he was receiving from his lover.

"I'd be happy to teach Scott," Elsie put in. "He's such a wonderful little boy."

Haley seemed to consider for a moment, but before anything more could be said, the peace of the summer day was interrupted by a loud _bamf_ sound and the distinct scent of sulfur. The older members of the group looked up in horror to see Shaw, Emma, Azazel, and whom they all assumed must be Blindfold standing not five feet from their picnic spot.

Instantly, Charles' eyes darted to Eric…all the way across the field. There was _no_ way he'd be able to reach him in time.

_Eric!_ He screamed to him in his mind. _Eric, run! You have to get away from here!_

Looking up, frightened by the sudden shouting, Eric mumbled, "Daddy?"

"Hello, Erik…Charles," Shaw said slowly, his gaze shifting between the two of them. "It's been far too long, hasn't it. And we have a little one now, I see."

XxX

(A/N) Some notes…**Scott:** Does this answer your question, LovetheScottishAngel? Finally, in response to all of your questions about when we'll see the younger X-men…they're only just starting to be born, and I'll bring them in as we go.

**Destiny and Mystique's baby:** Just because I'm curious…how many of you knew that the original intention in the comics was for Destiny and Mystique to be Nightcrawler's parents…with Mystique serving as sperm donor?

So…any good?


	2. Requiem For the Fallen

(A/N) Well, fellow fans, as always, thankee kindly for your reviews, favorites, and alerts. Hopefully, I continue to please.

**A Song of Steel and Fire**

_Chapter 2: Requiem for the Fallen_

No sooner had the words left Shaw's mouth than Azazel had vanished, reappearing a second later with Eric held tightly in his arms.

"Please," Charles begged, struggling to remain calm, "don't hurt him. Whatever you're planning to do…take me instead. He's just a boy."

"Daddy! Papa!" Eric shouted, starting to cry as Azazel passed him to Shaw.

"Now why do you always assume the worst of me, Charles? You don't know why I'm here."

"You…you _can't take him_," Charles said, feeling like he might start to cry himself if Shaw didn't put his son down right this instant.

"Who said anything like that? We've just come to wish your boy a happy birthday," he said, turning his attention down to the little boy in his arms. "Eric James Xavier. That's your name, isn't it?" he asked gently.

"Mmhm," Eric mumbled, wiping his nose as he nodded.

"That's a nice name. How old are you today, Eric?"

Eric didn't say anything. He just meekly held up four fingers, trying very hard not to cry.

"Did you get some cool presents?"

"Uhuh. P-please, Sir. I wanna go back to my Daddy and Papa," Eric pleaded, lower lip trembling.

"You're a very brave boy, Eric…trying so hard not to cry. Before I let you go back, I _do_ have a present for you. Is that okay?" Shaw asked, gently lifting Eric's face up by the chin in order to look him in the eye.

"I- I guess," the little boy said, sniffling quietly.

"Good," the older mutant whispered, turning a leering gaze to Charles and Erik as he lowered his lips to Eric's.

It wasn't a full-blown kiss…not quite. Shaw pressed his lips to the corner of Eric's mouth, darting his tongue out to slip it delicately inside for only a second. Eric was too frightened to try to resist. He couldn't understand what was happening to him. The man wasn't _hurting_ him…but he didn't _like_ what he was doing, either. The way he was holding his body pressed against his made him feel strange. His stomach was churning and he felt like he was going to throw up.

"Put him down _now!_" Erik growled, the metal in the near vicinity beginning to rattle in response to his anger. The utensils on the tables all twisted themselves into unrecognizable shapes.

Finishing with the boy's lips, Shaw moved down to his neck, pressing his lips to the soft skin.

"Do you like your gift, mein kleinen Eric?" he murmured against his neck, beginning to suck on the skin.

_Say 'yes.'_

"Yes," he said, nearly throwing up as the word slipped out of his mouth. Charles had spoken to him often enough through telepathy that he could recognize it…but this wasn't Daddy…or Aunt Destiny or Pele. He didn't know this voice.

_You __**like**__ this,_ the voice urged nastily in his head. He was so scared and confused, all he wanted to do right now was curl into a ball and cry.

"Please…please let him go," he heard Daddy begging. Then there was a sudden sharp pain in his neck and he couldn't keep from crying out.

"_Eric!_"

Shaw licked his lips as he pulled back from him. "Mm, tastes nice," he said. Then, shifting Eric in his grasp, he briefly rested a hand between his legs. Several tears escaped his eyes.

"What…what are you doing? Please…I don't like it…please stop…_please_…"

"All right, Liebkind, you can go back to your parents now," he said, kissing him on the cheek and setting him back on his feet.

For a moment, Eric swayed on his feet, feeling extremely dizzy and sick, but then his eyes focused on his daddy, holding out his arms for him. Once he was sure he wouldn't fall, he ran to him as fast as he could and Charles caught him, sweeping him up in his arms and hugging him close, gently rubbing his back as Eric buried his face in his shoulder and finally began to sob.

"Daddy, I don't feel good," he cried helplessly. "My tummy feels funny."

"It's all right, baby," Charles soothed, kissing the top of his head. "Everything's going to be all right. I'll take you inside soon and we'll get you feeling better." For Eric's sake, he fought to keep himself calm. His lover's rage was loud enough for the both of them…loud enough to speak for the ugly, dark bruise blossoming on their son's neck.

"He's just a child," Erik hissed, summoning up one of his switchblades.

"So were you, mein kleinen Erik Lehnsherr. It's the best time to start."

"Start _what?_" Erik demanded, moving to stand between Shaw and Charles and their son. He knew…of _course_ he knew that answer. How could he not? But at the same time, part of him desperately wished it wasn't what he knew. He couldn't _bear_ to think of it applied to his son. He had sworn _never_ to let that happen.

"I promise you, Erik, you'll be thanking me for it someday. I have it on good authority that what's to come is the only way to awaken your boy's power."

"I don't care what you _think_ you're accomplishing…you will _not_ touch him again," the metal-kine snarled, raising the blade to Shaw's face.

"Going to kill me, Erik? I'm not entirely certain you _could_."

"Touch one _hair_ on my son's head and I promise you there won't even be enough of you left to _bury_."

"_His_ head? Oh, no, no, no, you misunderstand my meaning. I don't _have_ to hurt your son…at least not directly. If he's _anything_ like the two of you, there's a much easier way to accomplish my goals."

"This is the only warning I'm going to give you. That helmet isn't going to protect you from _me_. Get out of here…_now_…or I'm going to skin you alive," Erik threatened, his expression leaving no room for doubt.

"All right, all right," Shaw capitulated, raising his hands in defeat. As he began to back away from Erik, his gaze drifted over the group of people, coming to rest on one person in particular. At first, he didn't quite believe it, but then his eyes and mind slowly looked back through the changes the years had wrought….and finally found the dark, fiery gem of his collection.

"Pele…?" he said slowly, still a little disbelieving. "_Pele_…I must say, I'm a little surprised to see you…alive," he said, his tone souring as he glanced briefly at Emma.

"You're…only just now learning this?" the young telepath asked, trying her best not to let her own fear show.

"Well, apparently _some_ people don't see fit to _tell_ me these things," he said, glancing between Emma and Blindfold on either side of him, but then he seemed to consider the situation and he began to smile again. "No matter. I've found more than I expected today: not three, but _four_ gems that belong to me."

"Eric and Charles _don't_ belong to you!" Erik snapped.

"Only Eric and Charles, kleinen Erik?" he asked with a knowing leer. "You don't deny _you_ belong to me?"

Finally, the hand that held the switchblade dropped and Erik's hands dangled uselessly at his sides, a look of combined hatred, self-loathing, and acknowledgment in his grey eyes.

"I never have. How _can_ I? You _made_ me what I am…Herr Doktor…but that doesn't mean I have to lie back and take it."

"We'll see."

"You're…Ruth Aldine?" Destiny's voice suddenly broke in.

The elder precog's face was turned in Blindfold's direction, but even her odd brand of sight did not avail her now. She imagined the girl was experiencing much the same thing; there was simply a void in reality where she stood…a vanishing point in the grand causal scheme of the universe.

"Yes," the younger seer answered to the other blank space, "and you're Irene Kinross." It was virtually the only detail they had about each other…names. Unlike all the other people in their lives, these two women could never really see each other…and for two people who could literally see all, this was something new and slightly frightening.

Saying nothing more, Blindfold began to move toward Destiny. At first, she moved at a normal pace, but as she came closer, she began to slow, and Destiny thought she knew why. As the young woman came closer, the gaping void in her awareness grew larger, slowly engulfing her reality. By the time they were no more than a few feet from each other, her mutant senses were completely gone. Her vast awareness had fallen into darkness. Even her psychic connection to Mystique, the other woman's presence in her mind a constant comfort, had been cut off completely. For the first time since her mutation had manifested, Destiny was well and truly _blind_.

Blindfold stopped her advance, overcome by the same effect. For a moment, she held her hands out in front of her, as if to stumble forward, but then they fell limply at her sides.

"A-Azazel?" she called quietly. "Can you help me? I can't…I can't _see_."

The teleporter's eyes widened briefly at this, but he soon _bamf_ed to her side, placing a protective arm around her shoulders and guiding her steadily forward.

"The…the baby," she said slowly, haltingly, still unused to the state of helplessness. Understanding her wish, Azazel took one of her hands in his and guided it to Destiny's swollen stomach. The elder seer stood stark still, unable to see what was happening. Mystique stood by her side throughout, ready to spring into action should it prove necessary.

Blindfold gasped faintly when she felt the child kick against her palm. "Hello…Kurt," she said softly.

Destiny's eyes widened in seeming horror as realization washed over her. "It…it's _you_. You're the reason I can't-"

"Yes," Blindfold interrupted before she could reveal anymore.

"You and he-"

"Yes."

"But…but _why?_ She won't even-"

"You _know_ why," Blindfold countered, her hand slowly falling from Destiny's belly and balling into a fist. "You know what must be…and what must _never_ be."

"Why him? Why _her?_" Destiny continued to plead, her sightless eyes suddenly bright with unshed tears.

"Because _we_ are the only ones who can make that decision. _They_ would not survive."

Destiny's eyes slid shut and three tears slid down her face before she nodded, recapturing her composure with a brief shudder.

"Don't waste it," Blindfold advised.

"I wouldn't dream of it," she whispered, her hands unconsciously moving to the swell of her growing child.

"That…that's enough," Blindfold finally said to Azazel, who wrapped his arms securely around her and teleported back to the other two.

"She's right. That _is_ enough," Erik said, his eyes narrowed to mere slits in pain and anger. "Haven't you caused enough damage for one day?"

"You _know_ I can always do a little more. If you want to know just how much, come to my villa in Florence…and know that until you _do_ come to me, your son isn't safe. He never has been."

Before anyone could say anything more, the four vanished into thin air. The next sound to be heard was the violent sound of retching. Eric had thrown up on Charles.

"I…I'm sorry…" Eric groaned, crying even harder.

"Oh, oh, you're fine, sweetie," Charles soothed, turning to head back to the mansion. "It isn't your fault. We'll get you cleaned up. Just lay your head on my other shoulder," he coaxed, shifting Eric in his arms.

Erik grabbed a few napkins from their table and quickly followed after them, starting to clean up the worst of the vomit as they moved. Once he'd finished with this, he moved around to Charles' other side, gently ruffling their son's hair to get him to look up.

"Feeling any better, Liebling?" he asked, keeping his focus on his son in order to quiet his raging mind.

Eric nodded weakly, clinging to Charles for all he was worth. "Ja…a…a little."

"Al ti-ra veh al tif chad," he said to him in Hebrew, knowing Eric liked the language, even if he couldn't yet understand it. "Daddy and Papa promise never to let him touch you again."

"Who…was that?"

"A _very_ bad man," Charles said harshly as he continued to rub Eric's back.

"I don't…I don't feel good," the little boy continued to cry, unable to truly process what had happened to him. "It…it feels _weird_," he struggled to explain.

"Shh, shh, it's all right now," Charles repeated, even though he knew it bloody well was _not_ all right. Their son had experienced something _no_ child should have to experience, even if it had been only a _fraction_ of what Shaw was capable of.

Both parents knew in that moment that they would _die_ before they allowed Sebastian Shaw to touch Eric ever again.

XxX

Charles gave Eric a bath…even though his baby boy was shaking badly and hesitant to be touched, even by him. Erik stood watch all the while. Charles then got Eric into his pajamas and put him to bed, even though it wasn't quite dark yet. Charles lay with him until he fell asleep, which didn't take very long. The poor boy was exhausted and emotionally drained. Neither of the parents felt comfortable leaving him alone when the threat of Shaw still loomed so near, even though they knew they needed to talk about what had happened and they would _both_ be needed. Pele was the one to finally offer a solution. _She_ could sit in Eric's room with him, in case he woke…or in case of danger. She would be able to keep tabs on the meeting, offer her opinions with her telepathy _and_ she could keep an eye on Eric.

"What did Blindfold tell you the day she contacted you?" Destiny demanded of Charles once they had all gathered in Charles' study. Even Haley joined them while Jubilation kept an eye on Scott and Elliot.

"I might ask you the same. What was going on between the two of _you_ today?" Charles fired back.

"What you said: something between me and her. You _know_ I can't tell you these things," she reminded him, though she was mostly resigned to the fact that there would always be a rift between her and Charles and Erik over her power…especially after what had happened with Raine.

"Then why should he tell _you_ what _she_ said?" Erik asked callously.

"Because we can't help if we don't know all the details," Artemis said reasonably. "You don't have to do this alone. We all want to protect Eric, too."

Sighing, Charles ran a hand through his hair. "Yes, yes, of _course_ you're right. I'm not thinking clearly."

"It's all right," Elsie reassured. "It's been a very trying day."

"She said…that she hoped I'd enjoyed my time with Eric…because it would be over soon," he explained as he sat down beside Erik, hands clasped together and resting against his chin. In an attempt to console, Erik draped an arm around his shoulders, hugging him a little closer.

"Did she…specify which one she meant?" Hank asked. Charles shook his head.

_Any light to shed on the subject, Destiny?_ Pele asked her.

"_She_ doesn't know which one she means," Destiny answered automatically. "For all we precogs sound like we _know_ what will happen, the future isn't a straight line. It isn't fixed. It's infinitely complex. She knows that _something_ may be ending, but she doesn't know which way it will go. The event only becomes more certain the closer you are to it in time. She could mean either one, but meant to scare you into panic or inaction by leaving it open like that."

"And the only way to find out…is to go to Italy," Charles said quietly.

"Can we risk that?" Alex posed the question to the room at large. "I mean…this is pretty obviously a set up. Can we afford to walk into it?"

"Unfortunately, the only way to find out what Shaw's next move is…is to follow where he leads," Erik said heavily.

_Don't sound so gloomy about it,_ Pele reprimanded, clearly cracking a smirk. _I'd say we have enough power between us that we can handle springing one little trap._

"What about Eric?" Artemis worried aloud. "With us off hunting Shaw, there'll be no one here to protect him…and he's the one they're really after. The students aren't trained for combat yet. Really, only Tessa has any idea what she's doing."

"We won't _all_ go," Charles answered immediately. "There's no sense in risking all of us."

"But you'll need as many as can be spared," Artemis said thoughtfully. "I might…have an idea."

"What sort of idea?" Charles asked, looking up at her.

"What if we were…to hide him?" she continued slowly, "…to take him somewhere they wouldn't find him?"

"It _would_ be a good idea…if Blindfold didn't already know where you were going," Erik reminded her.

"It _might_ still work. Blindfold is bound by the same laws of causality as I am," Destiny reminded them. "Just because she knows doesn't mean she'll tell them. It depends on how _she_ wants events to play out."

"And _that's_ theunknown factor," Sean said.

"What did you have in mind, Artemis?" Charles asked her.

"My family…my _wolf_ family, I mean," she quickly corrected herself.

"Are you sure you can…go back to them?" Charles asked hesitantly. "It isn't dangerous?"

"Of course it isn't. I'm their sister. They would welcome me and anyone I brought with me."

"And you're sure they would still be there? It _has_ been several years since you last saw them."

"Even if…they're not," she began, clearly not wanting to think about anything of the sort, "_I_ know how to survive out there; _I_ could take care of him. I'd keep him hidden until you all got everything figured out."

"Erik?" Charles queried, turning slowly to look at his lover.

_Maybe…she__** did**__ survive on her own for six years, after all._

_I think…it might be good for him to be away from people for a while…after what happened today. Besides…she was very happy with them,_ he recounted, fondly remembering his sessions with Artemis and her love for her wolf family. _I think it would be good for him,_ he reiterated, clasping Erik's hand in his.

"Okay," Erik said, briefly resting his forehead against Charles'.

"Not gonna lie, it's kinda weird when you guys do that…just stare at each other for five minutes and look up totally decided on something," Sean informed them.

"Gonna keep us in the loop?" Mystique asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We're going to allow this…if you really think you can protect him," Charles said firmly.

"Absolutely," Artemis replied, meeting his gaze with utter conviction. "I won't let _anything_ happen to him."

"Well, if you're going to do this, I'm going with you," Alex announced. "No way you're going this alone."

"Maybe…Pele ought to go with you, as well?" Charles suggested.

_No!_ the young telepath's voice suddenly broke in. _Charles, I'm going with you and Erik. I…I __**have**__ to._

_Are you sure you're __**ready**__ for this?_ He asked her privately, concerned.

_As ready as I'm ever going to be. I just…I have to do this._

_As you wish…Iolana._

"Sean, Hank, Mystique, we'll need the three of you with us, as well. Destiny, in your condition, I suggest you remain behind. Haley, for the time being, I would advise that you and Scott remain here. Shaw is certainly not above harming you to get what he wants."

"I _do_ have work, you know?" she reminded him.

"This shouldn't take so long as all that. I _did_ warn you from the beginning that any association with us could prove dangerous."

"Fair enough," she conceded, sighing in slight frustration. Work or no, Haley would certainly do anything to protect her son.

"Try and keep classes running as usual," Charles instructed Elsie, head teacher in his absence.

"Of course."

"And you know what to do if there's any trouble?" he pressed.

"Yes, Charles. We've been over this a thousand times already," she said with a slightly exasperated smile.

"So…Italy? When are we heading out?" Sean asked, sounding more than a little eager.

"Five in the morning," Charles announced promptly to several groans. "I want to let Eric sleep some more. We'll see the three of them off in the morning, then we'll depart, so I would advise you all get to bed at a reasonable hour if you want a decent night's sleep."

XxX

Charles disappeared after the meeting. Once Erik had checked that Pele was okay to watch Eric a while longer, he quickly followed in his footsteps. When Charles Xavier was nowhere to be found, there was one place he would almost certainly be.

As he'd suspected, the metal-kine found his lover sitting out by their daughter's grave. Whenever he was feeling sad or uncertain, or he just plain _missed_ the baby girl who had never really lived, Charles came out to sit with Raine, no matter what time of day or night it was. They sometimes came together, or with Eric, and Erik sometimes came on his own, as well, but he knew Charles came much more often than he did. He'd had a connection to Raine even _he_ could barely fathom…his little child, who had been so like him…losing her had been hard on them both, but it had nearly _killed_ Charles. Even now, five years later, he still didn't like the thought of his baby girl out here alone.

Charles was sitting with his knees drawn up against his chest, his chin resting on them as he traced a hand over the writing on the stone.

"Are you all right?" he asked, laying a hand on his shoulder as he crouched behind him.

"I was…thinking about her today," Charles said quietly, reaching a hand back to touch Erik's.

"I know," Erik said. Invariably, they both thought of their daughter whenever Eric reached any kind of hallmark in his life. Being gentle, Erik pulled Charles back against his body, closer against his warmth, attempting to pull him back from the chill of the night and the horribly morbid and sad thoughts that inevitably seemed to find one beside a grave. "I miss her, too."

"God, Erik, we…we _can't lose him_," he cried quietly.

"We won't," Erik promised him, trying to reassure him with a gentle kiss to his cheek. "I won't let that _monster_ have our son…no matter what it takes…I _won't!_"

"Don't…don't say that," Charles mumbled, swiping feebly at the moisture on his face. "Don't say…no matter what it takes. I don't want to lose you, either. I couldn't…_bear_ it…to lose _either_ of you. I couldn't…" He couldn't manage anymore words after that and his mind was a jumbled mass of seething pain and despair. Slowly, Erik helped him to stand, knowing that the best thing for him right now would be to get back inside…away from the thoughts of death.

"You won't. It doesn't have to be that way. She showed you the future before and it turned out all right. You can't let her get to you. She has her own schemes, just like the rest of them. The best thing to do…is just forget she ever said anything and do what we have to do to protect our family," Erik said, keeping an arm wrapped securely around Charles' shoulders as he led him back toward the mansion.

Charles swallowed heavily and nodded, leaning his head against Erik's shoulder. "You're right…I _know_ that. I just can't help…being afraid…terrified. I don't know what's come over me."

"It's what happens…when you lose someone," Erik attempted to explain, his voice breaking slightly over the word 'lose.' "You can't bear the thought of it happening again. The fear grips you…poisons you…until it drives out everything else. We can't let Blindfold get into our heads like that. Just breathe…breathe with me," he coached, slowing down his breathing to a more meditative pace.

Charles did as he asked, breathing in and out slowly, matching Erik's pace, until his frantic thoughts had mostly calmed. For the rest of the walk back to their room, they remained silent, just breathing together, each drawing calm and strength from the other.

XxX

Both parents knew they'd never be able to sleep properly, so they set up a watch. As such, it was Erik who was in the room with their son when the little boy woke screaming from a nightmare. Erik had soothed him, kissed him and cradled him, and ultimately ended up carrying him back to his and Charles' room to sleep nestled between them. Even then, Charles remained awake to allow both his Eriks time to sleep.

By the time five A.M. rolled around, they were sad, but not particularly surprised to find they couldn't get Eric fully awake. So they pulled him into his clothes and carried him down to the underground garage, where Artemis and Alex were already waiting at her bike. The others had all come down to say goodbye, as well.

"Be safe," Elsie counseled her daughter as she hugged her. Alistair pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"We'll be back before you know it," Artemis said with a grin.

"Make sure you don't let anything happen to her, lad," Alistair warned Alex.

"Oh, he'd amputate his own feet before he _let_ anything happen to her," Haley teased her brother, shifting her sleepy son in her arms in order to give him a light punch on the shoulder. "Keep it together, yeah?"

"Yeah," he said.

Mystique and Destiny came to Charles and each gave Eric a goodbye kiss on the cheek.

"We'll see you soon, okay, kiddo?" Mystique said fondly, patting his head.

"We expect to see you back here for the victory party," Pele said to Artemis, giving her a brief hug before the wolf girl went to put on her helmet and climb onto her bike.

"Well, you'll just have to come and get us, now won't you."

"Don't do anything stupid, okay?" Hank requested of Alex as the blonde pulled his own helmet on.

"Come on, Bozo, how much trouble can we get into in the middle of a forest?" he asked as he climbed onto the bike behind Artemis.

"Considering that it's you…I shudder to think," Hank said, completely deadpan.

"Say hi to the wolves for me, okay?" Sean said to Eric, holding up a hand, to which the little boy gave him a sleepy high-five.

"Gonna say goodbye to Eric?" Haley asked Scott, bringing him over to Charles and Eric. While Erik secured his son's own small helmet, the two boys smiled sleepily at each other. Scott waved at Eric and mumbled, "Bye," before laying his head back on his mother's shoulder.

"Eric," Charles began, looking down into his son's sleep-glazed eyes, "Papa and I are going to have to leave you with Rosie for a little while, but she and Alex are going to take care of you. They're going to take you to meet some friends of theirs. Is that all right?"

Eric nodded, still not fully awake.

"We'll see you very soon, pumpkin, so don't be scared. We'll come and get you when it's safe. We _will_ see each other again…I promise you," Charles said, reassuring himself just as much as their son, who of course, had no idea of the true magnitude of this moment. Charles leaned down slightly and pressed a kiss to Eric's forehead. "We love you. We love you so much, Eric."

"I love you, too, Daddy," he managed to say before a large yawn escaped his mouth.

Just as Eric was about to fall asleep again, Erik leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Be good for Rosie, Liebkind. We love you very much."

"Mmhm," Eric mumbled, resting his head against Charles' shoulder. Snuggling him close and kissing him one last time, Charles held onto his sleeping baby for a few more minutes before Mystique had to coax him over to the bike.

Being careful, Charles settled Eric in front of Artemis. Then Alex reached forward and wrapped his arms securely around both Artemis and Eric.

"You'll be careful?" Charles asked Artemis as she revved up the bike. Artemis loved her bike and was very skilled with it…and sometimes could be a little reckless astride it…but Charles also knew that Artemis loved his son like a little brother and would never intentionally put him in danger.

"Absolutely," she said, seizing his gaze with her own, at her most sincere without words in a way only she could be.

"All right," Charles said as he backed away, shaking his head in a vain effort to clear it. "You should go before I really do lose it."

Bending intently over the bike and Eric's slumbering form, Artemis threw the machine into gear, barreling out of the garage amidst waves and calls from the small group. As Charles and Erik watched them disappear into the darkness, Charles leaned briefly against Erik, drawing several shuddering breaths as the metal-kine kissed the top of his head. By the time he had pulled away, however, he had completely regained his composure, every sign of his near break down gone.

"All right, let's suit up. We have work to do."

XxX

(A/N) Translation: Al ti-ra veh al tif chad = Don't be frightened, don't be scared.


	3. Distant Melody

(A/N) Thanks to all you lovely people out there who still take an interest in this little story arc.

**A Song of Steel and Fire**

_Chapter 3: Distant Melody_

Eric slept most of the way up north. Charles had asked her if she remembered the way back to her forest, but Artemis had been almost insulted at the insinuation that she could ever forget. The little boy was more than happy to wake up atop the roaring bike. Artemis had been taking him for rides ever since he was old enough to sit up on his own.

When they arrived at what appeared to be an overall indistinct patch of forest off the highway, Artemis was nearly bouncing in her seat…and her excitement was catching. While she and Alex worked to conceal the bike and helmets, Eric ran around in circles, eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich Charles had made for him. Once they were ready, Artemis let Eric climb onto her back and they started off.

"You're getting _heavy_, little squirrel," Artemis teased him, though his weight was really no great burden for her. "It won't be long before I can't carry you anymore."

Eric pouted slightly at this, not quite believing it.

"How far are we talking here?" Alex asked before Eric could protest any further.

"A few miles. There's somewhere we need to stop first."

As they moved through the green undergrowth, they talked…about London, about school, about Alex potentially becoming an ammunitions instructor, about how excited Eric was to start school. They tried very hard to avoid the subject of yesterday…but it did come up eventually.

"Rosie?"

"Yes?"

"Did you know the bad man?"

Neither Artemis nor Alex spoke for several minutes. The wolf girl didn't fail to notice the way Eric's small body tensed against her back. "…Yes," she finally answered, even though yesterday was the first time she'd actually seen him in person. He'd been keeping a mostly low profile ever since the incident in Cuba, but her mutant family hadn't failed to let her know who the enemy really was.

"What…what did he want?" Artemis felt her heart break a little when she felt the small cheek that rested against her shoulder grow clammy.

"Well, kiddo, before you were born, he…he hurt your parents. Hurt 'em real bad," Alex answered, just as haunted by what had happened in the death camp as Charles and Erik were.

"Like…like _that_?" the little boy asked. Neither needed to ask what he meant.

"A little like that," Alex continued. "What they're scared of now is…that he might try to hurt _you_…like he hurt them."

"But…but _why?_ Why would he do something like that?"

"Because your daddy and your papa love you so much…and he can't stand that…how much they love you…and each other. He can't understand love like that," she said, glancing at Alex. "He tries to use it against people…_because_ he doesn't understand. But you shouldn't be scared," she veered off, trying to cheer him up. "He won't find you here."

"But…what about Daddy and Papa?" he asked, sniffling quietly. "Will he hurt them?"

"I wouldn't worry about your parents, scamp," Alex said, moving a little closer and ruffling Eric's dark brown hair. "They're a couple of guys to be reckoned with. They'll protect each other…and they'll make sure he never comes near you again."

"Really?" Eric asked, his grey eyes bright as he smiled uncertainly.

"Absolutely," Artemis said as they came to a riverbank. Gently, she slid Eric down from her back. "And wouldn't you know it, we're here already."

"Where's here?" Alex asked, looking around right along with Eric.

"Here is where we're going to take a bath," Artemis answered as she began to walk into the river, clothes and all.

"Bath!" Eric protested rather loudly, wrinkling his nose in distaste. "But I just had one last night."

"You'll like this bath, though. I promise. It's different from any bath you've ever had before. Come on," she said before allowing herself to tumble backward into the water, splashing it everywhere. Alex quickly joined her, but Eric still hesitated.

"Come on, Eric. It's all right," she coaxed, holding her arms out for him as water streamed from her soaked body. "The water's not very deep here."

He was still nervous, but he trusted her, so he came, letting her pick him up and slowly dip him in the cold water. As he slowly became more at ease, the three of them splashed around for a little while until they climbed back onto the bank, soaking wet.

"So how's this different from a regular bath?" Eric demanded petulantly, his earlier fear and misery forgotten for the moment.

"Well…have you ever wanted to just roll around in the mud?" she asked him, grinning mischievously. For a moment, Eric looked sheepish, but then he joined her in her mischievous grinning.

"Uhuh…all the time…but Daddy doesn't like when I get my clothes dirty."

"Here's your chance, then," Artemis whispered to him, pointing to a nice patch of mud a little ways down the bank from them. "I want you to roll in that mud until you're all covered with it."

"_All_ covered?" Eric asked, his mouth hanging open in awe, hardly daring to believe it.

"_All_ covered," she confirmed. "Now go for it!" she ordered. The ecstatic smile barely had a chance to light his face before the four-year-old took off like a shot. Then Artemis held her hand out to Alex. "Come on, big boy, you, too."

Alex's gaze shifted dubiously between her eyes, her hand, and back again. "Are you serious?"

"Completely."

Alex hesitated another moment, but he eventually took the offered hand, allowing her to lead him in their ward's footsteps.

"What's the point of all this?"

"We need to get rid of the man scent," she explained. "This won't do the job completely, but it'll help."

"Why do we need to worry about that? I thought you said they wouldn't have a problem with you."

"_They_ won't, but after six years, new wolves will have joined the pack…younger ones who don't know me. If Silence or one of my siblings isn't alpha, we'll need that on our side. Even so, we'll still need to gain the trust of the newer members. This will help," she said, gathering a vicious looking glob of mud in her hands. Alex realized what her intentions for the mud ball were about one second too late…the moment before it splattered against his face.

A nasty mud battle ensued after the fact. The two boys teamed up to try and take down the girl, but two against one when that one is a tele-kine is a pretty one-sided battle. Artemis could easily summon up small waves of mud, slopping it all over her two opponents and drenching them in it…just as she wanted. Of course, though, she let Eric take her down in the end.

Playing in the mud like this, they could almost forget why they were here in the first place. They could almost forget the fact that they were in hiding.

XxX

The flight to Italy was mostly silent. Sean slept most of the way and the others all had their own things to worry on…Hank on actually flying the blackbird, Charles and Erik on, well, everything, Pele on the thought of confronting Shaw again, and Mystique on Destiny and their unborn son. They hadn't really had a chance to talk about anything before take off this morning. All Destiny had wanted to do last night was lie together and cuddle…but Mystique had wanted to know, more than just about anything, what had been going on between her and Blindfold. Clearly, it had something to do with Kurt…and of _course_ Blindfold knew his name, even though they hadn't told anyone. Sometimes living with precogs could be a real pain.

When they were in sight of Europe, Mystique finally approached her brother, whose lover's head was resting against his shoulder as he slept.

"He actually fell asleep?" Mystique asked, somewhat amazed. Erik was a light sleeper…and it _certainly_ didn't seem like him to sleep during a situation like this.

"Not really," Charles explained, not looking at her. "I _made_ him."

"As in…"

"Yes."

"Thought he didn't like that."

"He needed to sleep some more. There's too much else going on for him to be angry with _me,_ really," he said, stroking the sleeping metal-kine's hair just as much to comfort himself as to comfort Erik.

"And you?"

"Can't sleep. Couldn't even if I wanted to. Did you want to talk about something?" he asked, directing the conversation away from himself.

"Charles…do you think you could…read Blindfold's mind?" she finally made herself ask.

Charles stared at his little sister oddly for a moment. "I only see the inside of her mind when she _wants_ me to. Apart from being a seer, she's a gifted telepath."

"What about Destiny?"

His odd stare deepened into something disturbed at this. "Her I could read. Her telepathic abilities aren't as strong…but do you still not understand how dangerous it is to go into a seer's mind? I would _love_ to pick apart her brain and learn everything she knows about our lives. You _know_ that. I would _love_ to be able to protect you all from dangers we don't yet know about…but I _can't do that_. It would be a violation of her trust and of her mutation…no less than what _your_ parents did to you."

"Fine, fine," the shape shifter said, burying her face in her hands. "Sorry I asked."

"Why _would_ you? You…who got a promise from me never to read your mind."

"I'm worried…about the baby…about what she and Blindfold were saying. Charles…I'm afraid my son's in danger. You can understand that, can't you?"

"Completely."

"Of course there's something she's not telling me. There's _always_ something. I _know_ that; she can't help it…but what if there's something _I_ can do to stop it?"

"And what if you knowing causes something _worse_ to happen?" Charles suggested. "You can't know how these things will play out. It would be the same no matter how you got the information. The only thing we can really do is meet these things as they come. I know that isn't what you want to hear, but I'm not going to risk making things worse by reading Destiny's mind. Honestly, I've seen _quite_ enough of the future for my taste," he finished with a huff.

Mystique was about to respond when Charles suddenly blinked rapidly and his head flopped gently against Erik's.

"You don't mind, do you?" Pele asked as she walked over to them. "That whole business was awkward enough…and he didn't sleep much last night."

"I'm just amazed he was distracted enough to let you slip by."

"I'm getting good…besides…he can bring peace to anyone in the world, but the only ones who can give _him_ peace are me…and his two boys."

"He's not going to be happy about it when he wakes up," Mystique warned her.

"I know that, but there's no denying he needed it."

"Sort of wish you hadn't done it, though," Hank sighed from the cockpit. "I needed Charles to find me a landing site. We have no idea where this place is, after all."

"I think I'm going to take offense to that," Pele snipped as she strolled up to the cockpit. "You've got a perfectly good telepath right here. I can find you what you need."

"It doesn't bother you…to look for their minds?"

"Not even a little bit," she said as she plopped down in the copilot's seat, beginning to focus her powers on the ground below.

XxX

After the mud war, Artemis, Alex, and Eric went for another little dip in the river to rinse the glop away.

"So how do we find them?" Alex asked as they climbed out of the river.

"They know we're here already. Word of our presence has traveled with the smaller creatures a hundred times over…man is in the forest…but they don't know it's me yet."

"And…how will you tell them?"

Artemis grinned at him for a moment…then threw her head back and howled to the sky…loud and long, as she hadn't been able to do for a long time. The joy that radiated off of her was tangible as this first howl was followed by several sharp yips and another long howl, beginning high and tapering down to a lower pitch.

For several minutes, both Eric and Alex stared at her in amazement.

"What…what did you say?" Alex eventually got himself to ask.

"I said 'the Hunter Who Cannot Fail has returned from her journey. She has hunted well. I am here. Speak to me'."

"All that?"

"To that effect."

Before Alex could say anything more, the silence her howl had inspired was broken by yet another howl, longer, greater in range. Artemis' face was soon lit by an even brighter smile. It was a call she knew well.

"Come on!" she urged the two of them, helping Eric climb onto her back again. "It's my brother, Shadow Tracker."

"What did he say?" Alex asked as they took off into the trees once again.

"He says, 'Welcome, sister. The winters have been long. Come home'."

And she did. She fairly flew through the trees with Eric on her back. Alex barely managed to keep pace with her. After a severely long run, she suddenly dropped to her knees, nearly tripping her boyfriend up. He fell to his knees beside her, breathing hard.

"The den is just ahead. We must approach on all fours."

"You mean crawl?" Eric asked her as she let him down.

"Yes. To go on two legs means man to them…and not all of them will like that. We need to be careful. I need both of you to do exactly as I do. Can you do that, Eric?"

Eric nodded, curious, not seeming to realize he ought to be afraid. He trusted Artemis absolutely and she was perfectly calm.

Slowly, the three of them crept forward, each on all fours, with Artemis in the lead.

"'The winters have been long' means it's been a hard few years," Artemis explained quietly to Alex. "The pups were born late this year. They shouldn't still be denning. They should be out teaching the new ones to hunt. I felt almost certain we'd find them out in the open, but this could be useful."

"How's that?"

"Shadow will accept me because I'm his sister, but his mate is under no obligation to do so. It's _her_ trust we must gain…but only one wolf can be mother at a time…and as far as they can understand, you are my mate, and Eric is our pup…but both she and I cannot be mothers. If we can get Shadow's mate to adopt Eric as one of her own, they will protect him from any danger."

Alex had nothing much to say to this. Really, all he could do was blush awkwardly over the thought of him and Artemis being mates and…having pups. With these thoughts in mind, it wasn't long at all before they reached the den. It was presided over by a large black wolf, whom Alex assumed was Shadow. There were five other adult wolves: two lying at the edge of the clearing, two pacing calmly around Shadow, and one silvery one watching over the two pups playing in the dirt…undoubtedly the mate Artemis had spoken of.

Two of the adults were already on alert, certainly having smelled the three humans long before they appeared: the mother and the brown wolf who paced behind Shadow. The other wolves were all at ease, familiar with Artemis' scent. Their reaction to her was as if she'd only gone out for a walk and was back now.

Artemis padded toward Shadow on all fours, then she rolled onto her back and tucked her arms and legs against her torso, whining affectionately. Shadow lowered his great, shaggy head to her face and she leaned up to nuzzle him beneath his powerful jaw, acknowledging him as alpha. Then Shadow turned his golden eyes to Alex, staring warily at him. For a moment, Alex froze, unsure what to do. Shadow bared his teeth, growling quietly.

"He thinks you're challenging him. Lie down. Do as I did," Artemis ordered firmly from her position on the ground.

Guided by the surety in her voice, Alex slowly rolled onto his back, copying her position. Shadow sniffed the air several times before lowering his head to Alex's, giving him the opportunity to copy his girlfriend's gesture from earlier. Then Shadow moved to inspect Eric.

For a moment, the little boy stared at the alpha male in wonder, but then he rolled onto his back as well, eager to do just as Artemis had done…but as Shadow bent his head to get a sniff of the new pup, his whole body suddenly tensed and he turned his gaze to Artemis, who whined questioningly.

Shadow circled Eric three times before he was interrupted by the arrival of his mate, who gave him the due nuzzle beneath the chin before moving in to inspect Eric herself. She sniffed him for several minutes, taking in every detail the information provided. Then the two alphas looked at each other, confirming something between them, which Shadow then relayed to Artemis with a glance and a whine.

The other wolves all knew it. There was something dangerous sleeping inside the little pup.

Artemis slowly rolled to all fours, whining pleadingly at her brother, but being careful to keep her head below his. His mate, who announced herself as Firestorm to the strange creature with a snarl and a snap, hadn't quite finished with her inspection, though. Dangerous, maybe, but the fiery alpha female knew a pup when she saw one, and a pup was to be protected.

Decisively, Firestorm lowered her head to Eric's and nuzzled him gently, which he returned with the nuzzle beneath the chin. Then she threw her head back and howled, her pitch crescendoing as the other wolves joined in. Artemis slumped in relief, adding to the chorus with her own small yips.

"What are they saying?" Alex asked, reaching out to her as he rolled onto his side.

"'The man's child is ours. Harm him at your own peril'," she explained. The song went into much more detail than that…of the history they had learned purely from the boy's scent and how he had come to their pack, but the gist of it was all Alex really needed to know.

"So they've accepted him?"

"Accepted _him_, yes. They'll protect him as one of their own. You and I still have to earn Firestorm's approval, though," she said, grinning, though it contained an air of exasperation.

XxX

Shaw's villa turned out to be an old castle that was the center of a vineyard on the outskirts of Florence. No doubt the man made himself a tidy profit off the vineyard itself.

Pele had Hank set the blackbird down in one of the farther fields. As had been predicted, neither of their leaders had been particularly happy about the method of their forced slumber, but Erik had been placated by the fact that Pele had put Charles to sleep and Charles had conceded that he _had_ needed it, so the whole matter had cooled fairly quickly.

Pele and Charles could tell that Blindfold and Emma knew they were there already. There would be no games tonight. They made their way toward the old stone structure, making no real attempt at stealth.

Once inside, it didn't take them long to locate their adversaries. The four hellions were in the great hall, seated around a large table set with a feast.

"Oh, good, you made it," Shaw said congenially. "The food was starting to get cold."

"We came…just as you asked," Charles said calmly. "Now what is it you want?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, won't even sit down and enjoy a simple meal with friends. So rude," Shaw chastised.

"We are _not_ friends," Erik hissed pointedly, to which Shaw chuckled.

"No, of course not. We're a bit _more_ than friends, we. I thought we might play a little game tonight, but if you don't want to eat first, the more loss for you."

"What _sort _of game?" Charles demanded quietly, in no mood for the older mutant's theatrics.

"A test of sorts, something like what you and Erik went through…what we all must face."

"Whatever this is, Shaw, it's between the three of us. Leave the others out of it."

"If it's between us, it's between _all _mutants who share our views. Don't think you can keep this war between _us_, Charles. The war _is_ coming, but we can't be divided amongst ourselves if we're to come out on top. Therefore, you leave me no choice but to disillusion the lot of you."

"You've tried to do that before and it didn't work," Charles reminded him. "What do you think you can do differently this time?"

"I've tried to do this with you and Erik before; it's true…but tell me, Professor, can you bear to watch your students disillusioned…your _child?_"

Before Charles could say anything to this, Emma's power was bearing down on him. He'd been expecting it, but hadn't been entirely prepared for the moment under the fire of Shaw's words. He just barely managed to keep her back. As the two telepaths struggled viciously against each other, Charles vaguely felt another power swoop past him to lay claim to the others…even Pele.

Blindfold.

_NO!_

The moment of horrified distraction almost cost him the battle with Emma, but he kept at it. If he fell to her now, he wouldn't be able to save the others.

_You can't…keep this up forever,_ Charles ground out as their psi powers clashed painfully together. _I __**know**__ you can't. You'll give out eventually._

_So will you, Charles. That little battle is simply a matter of who collapses first. I, however, don't **need** to hold out forever. Just long enough…_

The implications of this horrified the professor even more, but he maintained his power against Emma's, determined not to fall. He had to believe the others could handle whatever Blindfold could dish out. He _had _to…for if he let go and allowed Emma to join forces with Blindfold, they stood no chance at all, so he absolutely had to hold her here.

_Erik…don't give in to her…you __**must**__ be strong. Please be all right._

XxX


	4. A Song from their Memories

(A/N) Sorry I've been so long in updating. My girlfriend and I just moved into a new apartment and it's been kinda hectic between that, work, _and_ finding time to write. For those of you still reading, I hope it was worth waiting for.

**A Song of Steel and Fire**

_Chapter 4:_ _A Song from their Memories_

Mystique knew what was happening the moment she was caught up in Blindfold's web. Really, she'd had too much experience with telepathy _not_ to know what was happening here. As the psychic blitz slowly died down, she found herself alone in the hall.

"So what is this?" she demanded of the empty air. "Some kind of test? A torture chamber? What? I'm waiting," she said, crossing her arms and tapping her foot impatiently.

"No. I would call it a mirror," a voice with a thick Russian accent answered her as Azazel stepped into view, tail twitching as he circled around the table on the opposite side of her.

"So what am I supposed to be seeing in this mirror?" she asked, following her opponent's movements.

"Why do you fight for your brother's cause? I have seen you fight. I know what anger is in you. Is that anger really best directed at _us?_"

"You don't know me," she fired back.

"I know what you have suffered. Believe me, _this_ I know," he said, gesturing to his own body. "Why should not our hatred be directed toward the same creatures…Raven Darkholme?"

"You don't get to call me that," she snarled at him.

"Then why you do not stop me?" he asked, giving his tail one delicious flick.

Taking the invitation for what it was, Mystique sprang at Azazel, but before she could land a blow, he'd vanished. Quickly, she turned on her heels, meeting him as he came up behind her. For a time, she held her own against him, being fast enough to keep up with the pace of his teleporting moves, but it wasn't too long before he had her pinned to the stone floor, his tail wrapped around her throat.

"I know you used my shape…to impregnate her," he murmured quietly in her ear. "Ruth told me. Why would you do this? Is it because it was the form you were in when you performed your first kill? You can still hear the sound Angel's neck made when you snapped it, can't you."

"Yes," she said quietly, staring past him…up at the faraway ceiling.

"It isn't because you feel guilty about it, though, as your brother would have it."

"No," she acknowledged. There was no denying it. The blood on her hands didn't haunt her. She felt…righteous…justified…and she knew that scared the others, even though no one ever said anything.

"You _like_ it, moya krasavitsa. You _lust_ for battle. We can give you this…with_out_ the cross of being a pacifist."

"Maybe so," she said calmly, still not quite looking at him. "But you're giving yourself a little too much credit. It's never completely been your form I use. I just have a thing for the tail," she finished as her own newly grown tail snaked up and swiped her opponent across the face. The teleporter leapt back with an enraged cry, wiping blood from his eyes.

"Ruth," Mystique said as she climbed slowly to her feet.

"Chto?"

"You called her Ruth. The others call her Blindfold…and the way you were with her the other day…something interesting there, maybe?" she asked, returning Azazel's look of near shock with a smirk.

XxX

Hank was also fairly confident he knew what was going on, having performed several experiments with Charles, Pele, and their powers. Where before, the hall had contained several people, it was now deserted.

"Charles? Pele? Mystique?" he called out, not really expecting an answer, but figuring there was no harm in trying. "Can anyone hear me?"

"Well…technically _you_ aren't hearing you, either, but I think you already knew that," Blindfold said as she walked into the hall.

"Yes…it's all happening in my mind, so there's no actual sound involved," Hank responded clinically, trying to maintain a distance from his surroundings. After his experiences with Pele, Charles, and Onslaught, he knew just what sorts of things this young woman was capable of. "Your ultimate goal is Onslaught…so why play these games with the rest of us?"

"Do _not_ presume to lump my ends together with those of my keeper, Hank McCoy. You don't know what I want."

"Keeper? So you're…like Pele?" he asked, looking at her with a slightly different expression.

"I suppose you might view it that way. That's certainly how Shaw chooses to look at the situation."

"Then…why do you stay with them? You've clearly got enough power to leave if you wanted to. No one could stop you."

"Where would I go?" she asked calmly as she sat at the table. "I would _certainly_ never be welcome in Westchester. Don't forget, it was through _my_ direction that Stryker's raid on the mansion was carried out…the night the baby telepath died. I can say with absolute certainty that I will never be forgiven for my hand in that."

"No," Hank said without even having to think about it. He wished he could say differently…wished he could say that Charles was better than that, but he really wasn't…not anymore…not after Raine. Something in both him and Erik had died the night their little girl had been taken from them. If his treatment at the hands of Shaw hadn't hardened Charles' heart against the Hellfire Club, Raine's murder certainly had. Losing her had changed him most of all.

"Besides, you're also forgetting that I know things. I know what needs to happen and I'm exactly where I need to be. So…is it really necessary to question my motives?"

"Can't help it," he said, eying her warily. "I'm a scientist. I _have_ to question what I see."

"All right," she said, the lines on her forehead rising in what Hank guessed must be an expression of interest. Then, without further comment from her, her appearance began to change. Her long, dark hair lightened to a pale blonde color and shortened until it fell just past her shoulders. The blindfold slipped away and her eyes were an icy blue underneath. Her gangly body shortened and toned up and her small breasts filled out…until Haley Summers sat before him.

"What are you doing?" he hissed, narrowing his eyes at her.

"It's a shame Alex isn't here," she said, her voice an exact match for the blonde's. "We could talk about you and his sister."

"There's _nothing_ to talk about," he growled, looking away from her. That didn't help any, though. Almost instantly, she was at his side, slipping an arm around his waist.

"I disagree. I think he'd want to talk to anyone who was eying his baby sister," she said, leaning her head against his chest while he did his level best to ignore the way she was rubbing her body against his.

"It doesn't matter if I'm 'eying' her or not," he said. Apparently, he had a thing for blonde bombshells whom he could never have any kind of real relationship with. Maybe he just liked to torture himself. Something about the younger Summers just set a _fire_ in him in a way no other girl had before. Whatever his desires were, though, Haley was off limits.

"It isn't because you think she wouldn't be interested," Blindfold pointed out, her body twisting sinuously against his. "You _know_ she is. You can _smell_ it on her."

It was true. Every time he was near her, Hank's keen senses could detect the animal scent of her desire…but animal passion had very little to do with human conscience, and he also knew that Haley still grieved deeply for Chris. He was not about to take advantage of a distraught widow…no matter how well she hid the condition of still _being_ distraught. He would be there for her as her _friend_. He didn't want to risk the fragile balance by offering anything more.

"You could always…settle for a substitute," she purred, pressing her lips lightly against the corner of his mouth.

"N-no," he mumbled against her lips, trying and failing to push her away.

"Why fight it?" she asked, her tone sultry as she ground her hips against his. "Why even ask for permission? Why not _take_ what you want…Beast? After all, that's what you are…deep down. You know it doesn't matter how many smarts you have; you're still an _animal_. Now give in to it," she whispered, peppering his furry jaw with rough kisses. "Set the beast free."

Hank could feel the last of his control slipping as she slid her hands inside his uniform. He let out a low growl as he allowed his hands to drop to her waist. God help him, but he _wanted_ this too much.

XxX

Sean was one hundred percent baffled when he suddenly found himself alone in the dining hall.

"Hey! Where'd every body go?"

"Oh, dear. It looks like you've been left alone again…just like you always are," a voice came from behind him. Spinning around, Sean found himself face to face with Blindfold.

"Not…not anymore," he said, trying to be firm.

"No need to hide it from _me_…Banshee. I can see your past _and_ your future. I can see the lonely little boy, passed from home to home…never really belonging anywhere…and I see what will _break_ him."

"You've got nothing on me," he said, slowly starting to see what was happening. "That foster shit was bad, but…it's over now."

"Far from it…in fact I know just what will make it all come screaming back," she said as her appearance began to change. The straight brown hair blossomed into long red curls. A smattering of freckles dusted across her face as her blindfold melted away to reveal crystal green eyes.

"So who are you supposed to be?" he asked the woman now standing before him, suddenly feeling nervous for reasons he couldn't explain. After all, he didn't know this person…did he?

"This is the mother who abandoned you to the foster system…Pegeen Cassidy."

"It wasn't her fault," he bit back, looking away from this woman he did and did not know. "She died…giving birth."

"Is that what they told you?" the image of his mother asked, her voice cold and mocking.

"It's the truth."

Blindfold shook her head, moving in close to him and drawing his gaze up to hers by grabbing his chin and gently forcing his head up. "Did you know that your mother…is still alive?"

XxX

Pele was ready for the psychic blow when it came, but she didn't fight against it. Simply rode out the wave, waiting for her fellow telepath's intentions to make themselves known. If she really needed to fight back, she could, but for now…she really wanted to talk to Blindfold.

It seemed to the young telepath that she was left alone in the hall for hours, but she knew better than to let it phase her. A veteran of Emma Frost's school of thought, she knew exactly when she was being fucked with. She sat cross-legged on the floor, falling into a meditative state while she waited. She was deep in mediation when the seer finally came to her.

"How's it been?" the young woman's voice was suddenly in her ear. "These six years…pretending you're not the _monster_ you know yourself to be?"

"If I am a monster," Pele began calmly, her eyes remaining firmly shut, "I will be one on my own terms…not yours or Shaw's or anyone else's."

She didn't need to see the transformation happening to know what was going on. Blindfold allowed her to see it in her mind…the slow shift to a young man long dead…Keoni Kainoa.

"That's not going to work, Ruth. It's in the past."

"You're not responsible for it, then?" she asked in her father's voice as she wrapped her arms around her shoulders.

"I didn't say _that_. I can still be responsible for it _and_ accept that it happened…that I was forced to do it."

"Hmm…you're certainly more at peace with yourself than Shaw believes. He felt certain the scar of your father's murder would bind you to him forever," Blindfold said, her voice changing as she slipped back into her own form.

"No. I can live with what I am," she said, her eyes finally flickering open.

"Maybe so," the precog said, crawling around to kneel in front of her, "but there is one pain, I think, that will never leave you."

Blindfold didn't give her the opportunity to witness the next transformation. One moment, she was there, the next, she was replaced by Sebastian Shaw.

"Hello, Pele," he said, smiling in that disarming way of his. Then he reached out a hand, nestling it firmly between her legs. "Lie down," he ordered her, beginning to rub.

Suddenly, it was as if the years had never passed, and she was a frightened five-year-old again. She obeyed him without question, even though some part of her _knew_ this wasn't Shaw; that part couldn't win out over the fear, pain, and humiliation. She couldn't fight; she was trained too well.

It didn't take very long. Shaw got off quickly, filling her, marking her as his property. As he collapsed on top of her, he became Blindfold once more, kissing her neck gently as she tangled her fingers in her dishevled hair.

"You see? Even after all these years, you _still_ belong to him. You obey without a second thought."

"Why?" Pele asked, unable to move for her utter shock. "Why do you…stay with him?"

"Did it never occur to you, Iolana, that the best way to take someone down…is from the inside.

Pele puzzled over this while Blindfold climbed off of her, slowly moving to her feet. She then offered Pele her hand, which the girl stared at warily for several moments before taking. She shivered as a breeze brushed against her skin. Her uniform had been torn open during the rape, leaving the most vulnerable parts of her body bare to the cold night air. The breeze only seemed to get worse as Blindfold led her out of the hall and out onto a balcony just off it. Her body felt cold…but _she_ was numb.

"Perhaps you'll be more willing to listen now," the older girl suggested, sweeping a hand out to indicate the beautiful view of the night beyond the vineyard. Pele didn't see it. The night air shifted before her eyes…and she knew she was seeing just what Blindfold wanted her to see.

Images danced in her mind, playing across the star-dotted sky like a bad projector. The first was an image of herself…older…darker…facing down an older Charles in what looked to be the ruins of Cerebro. It couldn't be seen on the surface, but they were engaged in an intense psychic duel.

"What is this?" she asked blearily.

"Sebastian Shaw will die someday soon…but someone will rise to take his place…to become the next Black King of the Hellfire Club. There are six people who could potentially fill the vacuum. You are such a one."

"What?" she whispered in shock. No cause on Heaven, Hell, or Earth could hope to convince her to betray Charles Xavier. How was it even remotely possible that _this_ was a potential future for her?

"Who says it's a betrayal? Greater damage has been done out of love than most other things in the world. Two of the other candidates will attest to this."

As Blindfold spoke, the image began to flicker, switching between people. One moment, _she_ was facing down Charles, the next, it would be Mystique, and finally…Erik…only Charles was in a wheelchair whenever the image flickered to him.

"This…isn't possible," Pele said, tearing her eyes away from the macabre scene. "Who are…the other three?"

"Emma and Selene, as a start," she supplied, coaxing Pele's gaze back to the slideshow. "Your path, as far as the Hellfire Club goes, anyway…will be greatly influenced by this girl."

The new image was someone Pele had never seen before. It was a young woman, mid-twenties, perhaps. Her hair was an intense shade of blonde and her eyes were…well…not quite grey…more like silver.

"Who is she?" the young telepath asked, feeling something strange in her chest she couldn't quite identify.

"Someone in your future," was the only answer she gave as the image shifted yet again. Charles…only…no…not him. _Onslaught._

Even here, knowing she was trapped in an illusion, knowing this was only a possible shadow of the future, Pele felt a chill of fear sweep down her spine.

"What's _he_ got to do with this?"

"He is the sixth," Blindfold explained with a twisted kind of glee.

"No…no…he _can't-_"

"You _know_ that isn't true. He's quite capable of it. Charles Xavier has just as much anger and arrogance as the rest of us, but I can assure you, Iolana Kainoa, if the time of his ascension as Black King _does_ come…it will be done out of love."

XxX

Erik was mostly aware of what was happening, having picked up Charles' moment of panic through their link before he was cut off from him entirely.

"Charles!" he called out when he found himself alone in the hall. It didn't come as much of a surprise to him when he received no answer. What he got instead was a hand on the shoulder, which he had to force himself not to react violently to.

"Peace has made you _soft_, Erik," Shaw's voice said quietly in his ear. "You're beginning to forget who you are."

"Is that so bad?" Erik hissed.

"How's your boy?" Shaw asked, coming into view with a smug smile.

"He's safe," Erik growled. "He's somewhere _you_ won't ever touch him again."

"Eric Xavier is never beyond my reach…not so long as I have Blindfold."

"Well, we have Destiny, so I'd say we're pretty evenly matched. Besides, you're pretty foolish to put all your trust in her. Precogs work for no one but themselves. They don't have much of a choice."

"I never put my _full_ trust in anyone, mein Erik. I know my Blindfold holds more knowledge than I ever will. If I'm going to work with her, I really have no choice but to let her take the reins. For someone who can see the infinite forms of probability, she's got a strange fixation with destiny…but she assures me it's your precious telepath's _destiny_ to become one of us in the end. Maybe not today, maybe not next month, but _someday_…whether or not this plot succeeds…someday, Charles Xavier will be _mine_."

"Over my dead body," Erik spat calmly back at him.

"What kind of threat is that? You _know_ your life isn't anything to me…especially when measured up against the power sleeping inside your lover and your son. I _know_ you're anxious to see the boy's mutation manifest."

"What…what _sort_ of mutation?" Erik found himself asking, ashamed to even be _considering_ Shaw's words, but curious, nonetheless.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Even _I_ don't know that. Blindfold won't tell me. The only way to find out…is to go along with my plan."

"_No!_" Erik half-snarled. "I'm not going to let you _touch_ my son _or_ Charles, not while I'm still breathing."

"And here we are again. The factor of there still being breath in your body is easily remedied, you know…and what do you think would happen to Charles if you were to die…to be killed?"

Erik tried to argue…and found he couldn't. There was nothing to be said against it. He had _seen_ what happened in those situations. Charles _needed_ him. If Shaw killed him, along with indirectly being the cause of Raine's death, Charles would never survive it intact. He would inevitably lose his battle against the demon sleeping inside him. He couldn't just recklessly offer up his life like this.

"And he begins to understand," Shaw chuckled, watching with sick pleasure as his creation fell slowly to his knees.

"What is this for?" Erik asked when he felt somewhat confident his voice wouldn't shake. "This trap of yours…what are you going to do?"

You mean the purpose of calling you all here? That, mein Liebkind, was to bring _you_ out into the open."

"Me?" Erik murmured, not comprehending.

"We could kill you now. It would be easy…but I know you don't want that. You want to draw this out for as long as you possibly can. So we'll make a deal. The others can go free…but _you_ remain with us…and we will remind you of who you truly are."

Erik drew several labored breaths, not looking up at his tormentor. If he allowed this, they would use him against Charles; this was certain…but if he fought, the way they would use him against Charles would be a thousand times worse. Besides, if Shaw was focusing on _them_…maybe Eric would be safe? He could live with that.

"All right," he said firmly, finally looking up to look Shaw in the eyes. "I'll play your game…for now."

"For always, I think," the older mutant said, offering Erik a hand, which he pointedly refused. "What was the name the girl gave you? Oh, yes, I remember…Magneto."

XxX

Charles had no conception of how long he struggled with Emma before his senses were suddenly cut off.

"That's…cheating," he groaned, his muddled senses telling him he was being pushed back onto a bed, but his mind knowing otherwise. He could feel Blindfold's consciousness join with Emma's to completely overwhelm him.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but we don't exactly play fair," Emma said as she sat down beside him, brushing his hair off of his sweat-soaked forehead. He tried to sit up…couldn't. Tried to fight back…blocked. He was mentally immobilized.

"Where are the others? What have you done to them?" he demanded of Blindfold as she sat down at his other side.

"You should rest, Charles," she soothed. "You may not know this, but you're nearly dead."

"That's…impossible…"

"Is it? Do you know how long you and Emma have been fighting?"

"A few hours?" Charles guessed. He knew his foes had the ability to warp his perceptions, but they couldn't possibly have warped them_ that_ much.

Blindfold shook her head, smiling wryly. "It's been more like a week."

"I…I don't believe you," Charles managed to make himself say, trying to keep a lid on his panic. Could Emma really have kept him occupied for a week? It didn't seem possible…and yet…perhaps he _could_ push himself that hard…if he were fighting for the others.

"You should. Really, it was a glorious battle," Emma said…and Charles noticed for the first time how exhausted she sounded. "I'll admit you're more powerful than I am, but I had the benefit of a support team in the physical plane."

"Where are they?" Charles repeated stubbornly, not much caring to accept praise from Emma.

"Sleeping…though we did have to drug Erik and Pele in order to achieve that state with them. They fought very hard against me, even subconsciously," Blindfold said.

_God…_

"What did you _do_ to them?" he asked again, not to be deterred, even by Blindfold's attempts to unsettle him.

"We talked. Everyone has their own little secrets, after all. There was a _lot_ to talk about."

"Ruth, if you've hurt them, I swear-"

"No need for promises, Professor. We got what we wanted without bloodshed."

"What you wanted?"

"Yes."

That was when he heard a sound that caused his breath to catch in his throat…

…the sound of Erik screaming.

"_Erik!_" he cried out, shoving past Blindfold and Emma as the illusion shattered around him. As he tumbled back into reality, he began to feel just what they'd meant by nearly dead. He felt his body fall from a chair, crashing painfully to the ground, too weak to support himself.

"Erik…" he called weakly, barely able to lift his head. He could hardly comprehend what he saw.

Emma and Blindfold were sitting at the far end of a small room, eyes fluttering as they slowly came to, feeding tubes attached to their arms. Shaw stood with them, smiling eerily at the scene. A brief glance around the room revealed the children as they sat up from steel tables, waking from a deep sleep, but this was _far_ from the most horrifying of the sights.

Azazel was holding Erik up, holding one arm securely around his shoulders and supporting the rest of his unconscious bulk against his side.

"Let him go!" Charles demanded with little more force than a newborn. He tried to crawl…found he couldn't.

"Sorry, Charles, but Erik and I had a deal. He's coming with us," Shaw said, running a hand through the unconscious metal-kine's hair.

"Don't…_not him_…_please_…"

"Think of it this way, my young friend…now you'll know what he went through on that beach six years ago. You'll understand just what it was that drove him to destroy Dresden," Shaw said as he and the two women firmly grasped Azazel's arms.

"_NO!_" Charles shouted as the group vanished into thin air.

"Charles?" he heard Hank calling his name. He vaguely felt a pair of hands grasp his shoulders, but the burly mutant's presence barely registered in his mind. "Charles, are you all right?"

How could he have been so _foolish_? He'd been almost certain Shaw would go for _him_ instead. Erik had said it before…it was arrogance. And now…

"Get…get me back to New York. _Now!_" he snarled as fiercely as he was able, a dangerous fire burning in his blue eyes. "Get me to Cerebro!"

XxX

(A/N) Translations: moya krasavitsa = my beauty. Chto = what.

So…Erik as the kidnapped. What do we think of this little reversal?


	5. The Song the Children Sing

**A Song of Steel and Fire**

_Chapter 5: The Song the Children Sing_

It took much longer to get into the air than Charles would have liked, but he wasn't the only one suffering the effects of their ordeal. Pele was still trapped in a drugged sleep and had to be carried to the Blackbird by Sean, who, along with Hank and Mystique, was weak from having been starved during their week enthralled to Blindfold. Unlike their two opponents, they had not had the benefit of outside nourishment. Already, their muscles were sore and stiff from disuse and they could all feel the pangs of hunger and thirst.

Charles was the worst off among them, though. He had worn himself down trying to resist Emma, and they all knew what they'd already been through would have been much worse if he hadn't managed to keep her at bay. On and off during the flight home, the telepath would slip into hallucination, thinking he was still fighting with Emma and Blindfold…or that he was still seeing Azazel disappear with Erik…or Eric. It mattered little to his addled mind. Sometimes, he would even speak to Erik as if he stood right beside him.

"Are you sure…he's going to be _able_ to use Cerebro when we get back there?" Sean asked as he sat down beside Hank in the cockpit, glancing nervously to the back of the jet, where Charles lay strapped to a stretcher, experiencing a brief moment of coherency.

"Honestly…I pity the poor man who tries to _stop_ him using it," Hank said, fairly certain _he_ was going to be that one, but he had learned by now that if Charles wanted to do something, there was simply no stopping him…and there would be no stopping him now…not with Erik in the hands of the Hellfire Club and their son's life and freedom threatened by them. No power in the universe would be able to stop him…not even his own _death_.

XxX

The nice thing about the combined weight of the financial assets of Emma Frost and Sebastian Shaw was that they provided for a variety of secret bases around the world. As much as Shaw would have _loved_ to take Erik back to Auschwitz, Charles knew the location of that base, so it would do no good.

The current location was newer, hidden somewhere in the Canadian Rockies. A great deal of cash and effort had gone into its construction. Anyone could build an underground base, but what was different about this one was that the walls were constructed using the Soviet mirror technology that blocked telepathy. Where better to hide from a telepath whose gaze was nearly all seeing?

Currently, Shaw was in the living quadrant with Blindfold, nursing a tumbler of whiskey while they waited for Emma and Azazel to return from Xavier's school, presumably with little Eric in tow.

"Sure I can't tempt you?" Shaw asked his seer for what must have been the thousandth time, giving his tumbler a swirl.

"Once again, no. You _know_ what I like," she returned with a swirl of her own half-drunk tumbler of Bailey's Irish.

Shaw sighed, giving an exasperated smile. "Whatever suits you," he said, leaning over to kiss the top of her well-displayed breast. Blindfold just took another sip of her drink.

Not long after, the relative quiet was interrupted by the sound of Emma and Azazel teleporting into the room.

"Well?" Shaw enquired when he saw they'd returned empty-handed. "Where's the boy?"

"He wasn't there," Emma said, wincing prematurely. Shaw was displeased with her already; she'd barely managed to avoid punishment over the Pele issue with the excuse that it would have been a waste to let her die.

"So they've hidden him," Shaw mused, staring down into his nearly empty glass for several moments before his ire turned elsewhere. "Blindfold?" he began calmly, not looking over at her.

"Yes?"

"I thought you said he would be there."

"No. I said _should_. You missed your chance a week ago. How often do I give you absolutes like that?"

"Not often," Shaw conceded. "So where _is_ he?"

"Have a little patience, Sebastian. I'll reveal him to you when the time is right," she said, draining the last of her Bailey's.

"And when might that be?"

"When I _tell_ you, of course," she said serenely.

Shaw's face remained neutral, but his thoughts on the matter were made plain by the tumbler in his fist shattering with little more than a twitch of his fingers, spilling whiskey across the carpet. Azazel took a step forward at this, but Emma's hand on his shoulder stopped further movement. Shaw stared at the two of them for a moment, his eyes narrowed. It was Blindfold who finally broke the tension.

"Come on now. It's not like you'll be bored in the meantime. You haven't played with your little Erik Lehnsherr in so long. Indulge a little. Prepare him for the moment Charles and their son will see him again. Do what you said you'd do…remind him of who he is…of who he _will_ be."

"Yes," Shaw said, standing and slowly brushing away the pieces of broken glass. "You're right. Little Erik has been asleep for much too long. It's time he woke up." It would be nice, he thought as he left to head out into the compound, to be alone with Erik again. Erik had been the first, and no matter how many other young mutants came under his hand after him, none of them seemed to break quite as exquisitely as he had…except for maybe Charles Xavier. What fun it would be to do it all over again…the _both_ of them…and then to break the child they had created together, and watch the phoenix rise from the ashes.

XxX

During that first week, Firestorm was loath to let Artemis join the hunt. She and the brown wolf, whose name was Rainfall, were the only ones in the pack who hadn't been part of it when Artemis had still been with them. The other four, Shadow, Winter's Whisper, Look Far, and Shadow and Artemis' youngest brother, Soft Paws, welcomed her back easily, though, and at the end of the day, the decision rested with Shadow, so Artemis was allowed to rejoin the hunt and prove herself to the two she-wolves.

Alex hadn't been able to see those first few hunts, as he was left behind with Look Far to watch over Eric and the pups, but she must have done well, because the pack returned happy and seemingly well fed, and Firestorm and Rainfall were no longer so leery of her.

Artemis had no qualms with eating her meat raw…in fact, Alex suspected she preferred it that way, but they had both known going into this that the two boys would probably have issues with it. So Artemis brought back meat from their kills, plus some smaller animals she caught on her own, and Alex would use his power to give the meat a quick roast. Artemis also gathered wild fruits and vegetables when she could, knowing that a growing boy like Eric needed more than just protein in his diet. Thankfully, the little boy wasn't picky about his food like some children; he would eat just about anything…even things he shouldn't. Artemis and Alex had to keep a close eye on him to make sure he didn't eat anything dangerous. It was a peril Firestorm didn't quite understand, as her own pups ate only her milk, which they were nearly weaned from, and the regurgitated meat she brought back for them from kills.

Eric was adjusting well, all things considered. He had good days and bad days. On good days, he would play with the two pups, the silver boy and the black girl. He would explore with Artemis, and she taught him what was and wasn't safe to eat.

This particular day, though, had started off bad. Eric had woken Artemis up near dawn to say he'd thrown up. Soothing him, she'd carried him down to the river to help him wash up. Now that he was clean and at least feeling a little better, she was carrying him back to the den, wrapped snuggly in the bearskin blanket she'd made for him with her power. The sky was just barely beginning to lighten.

"Rosie?" the young woman felt rather than heard the mumble against her shoulder.

"Hmm?"

"I…I feel funny."

"Like you're going to throw up again?" she asked, walking a little slower.

"Mm-mm, not like that. My body feels…weird. Like it's all inside out…or it doesn't fit…I dunno. It feels icky…I don't like it," he mumbled miserably.

"It'll be all right, little squirrel. You're just a little sick," she said, even though she felt certain it was more than that. "You'll feel better soon. You can rest today. Just lay your head down and go back to sleep. We'll be back at the den soon."

"Rosie?" he asked, his voice heavy with exhaustion as he curled closer against her.

"Yes?"

"When do I get…to see Daddy and Papa again? I miss them," he said. He didn't make a fuss, but Artemis could feel the tears soaking her shoulder.

"Soon, Eric. You'll see them again once they've made the bad man go away. They're fighting very hard for you right now."

"I think…_he's_ why I feel so weird," Eric said, sniffling quietly. "Rosie, what…what did he _do_ to me? D-Daddy wouldn't – tell me."

"He did something only adults should do together. It's…I don't really…do you remember when your Papa let you have a sip of his coffee?"

Eric scrunched up his face and stuck out his tongue. "Ulgh! That stuff's gross."

"It's a little like that. Touching like that…isn't fun until you're older. He did it because he knew it would make you feel this way…and it would hurt your parents."

"He…he's using me…to hurt Daddy and Papa?" he asked, the concept seeming to gel in his young head for the first time.

Seeing the disquiet look on his face, Artemis suddenly felt she'd introduced a concept she probably shouldn't have. Eric was too young to be thinking about such things…but neither could she treat him like he wasn't capable of understanding. The question had been asked and could not be ignored.

"Yes," she said quietly, leaning down and gently kissing the top of his head, "but that isn't your fault."

"I don't…_wanna_ hurt them," he said softly, laying his head against Artemis' shoulder again, overcome by the sudden complexity of what he was feeling.

Rubbing Eric's back as she moved, the wolf girl began to sing quietly: a lullaby Pele had composed. In the few months before her rock phase had begun, the young telepath had briefly toyed around with music of her own. This lullaby was the most complete thing that had come out of that period, and it was Eric's very favorite song.

_Under the snow,_

_Beneath the frozen streams_

_There is life._

_You have to know_

_When nature sleeps she dreams._

_There is life._

_And the colder the winter,_

_The warmer the spring._

_The deeper the sorrow,_

_The more our hearts sing._

_Even when you can't see it,_

_Inside everything_

_There is life._

_After the rain,_

_The sun will reappear._

_There is life._

_After the pain,_

_The joy will still be here._

_There is life._

_For it's out of the darkness_

_That we learn to see,_

_And out of the silence_

_That songs come to be,_

_And all that we dream of _

_Awaits patiently._

_There is life._

_There is life._

By the time she'd come to the end of the song, Artemis was sitting against the trunk of a tree just outside the den with Eric sleeping soundly in her arms. The other wolves had been awakened by her singing and had come from wherever they slept to join in, closing out her song with a chorus of their own. Artemis hadn't known human music when she'd lived with them before, so this was something entirely new for them.

_This is your song, sister,_ Shadow's nuzzle against her free shoulder clearly said to her. Shadow gave the little boy in her arms a brief nuzzle before going to attend to his morning business.

"How is he?" Alex asked as he came up behind them.

"He threw up a little while ago…and he has a fever. Charles was afraid this might happen…that he'd react this way."

"Why'd it take so long, though?" he asked as he sat down beside them. "He seemed fine this week."

"Well…people react differently to trauma. He's young. There's no telling _how_ he'll react. We just have to be here for him…help him cope with what happened to him."

While they'd been talking, the two pups had come over to them, nuzzling their adoptive brother as he slept. The silver-furred male, who was called Wind Song, whined plaintively, while the black-furred female, who hadn't earned a name yet, simply nuzzled. As the two pups snuggled up with them, Artemis watched the three children with a warm smile. She never said anything to Alex, but it was moments like this that made her truly want to be a mother…specifically the mother of _his_ children. She'd never understood why everyone wigged out when she talked about them being mated. They just _were_; it was a simple matter to her. The complexity of it was something she'd never been able to grasp about human society, so she stayed silent and pretended to understand.

Really, the only person who seemed to get it was Haley. When it came to Alex, his little sister always encouraged her not to wait…never to hesitate.

"_You wanna screw him senseless, you go ahead and do it. I don't care who's watching. You wanna tell him you love him, do that, too. Don't you ever wait. Never let a minute go by without letting him know how much you care about him…because if you wait…and you lose your chance…you'll regret it forever. Regret **nothing**, Wolfie."_

Regret nothing…could that…possibly apply to her secret wish?

XxX

Most of the group managed to keep down some rations on the flight home, but Charles refused to eat, claiming that the pain helped to sharpen his quickly dulling senses…and with Pele still unconscious, none of them could argue against him. When they landed in Westchester and Hank carried Charles from the plane, he did at least _try_ to take him to the medical ward.

"What are you doing?" Charles asked, his voice slightly dangerous as Hank carried him in the opposite direction of Cerebro.

"Charles, you _need help._ Your condition's a lot worse than you seem to realize."

"No, it isn't. I know _exactly_ how bad off I am, and I can tell you right now, I've been through worse," Charles said, seizing the younger mutant's gaze with what could only be described as ferocity. Hank found he couldn't hold that gaze. "I know what my limits are…and I'm nowhere _near_ them; so I'm going to ask you one more time to take me to Cerebro."

"But…Charles…to use Cerebro in this state…you might-"

"I don't _care!_" the telepath snapped. "I'll do what I _have_ to now…and if that includes _persuading_ you to take me to Cerebro, then so be it."

Hank swallowed heavily, standing on the threshold of the med ward for several minutes, feeling pity…guilt…sadness…all manner of things. This man was such a far cry from the wide-eyed, optimistic professor he'd met six years ago. Even though he _knew_ he could be condemning his mentor to permanent damage if he let him do this, he also didn't want to be the one to put him in a position to do something he had _sworn_ not to. So he shifted his grip on Charles and leaned slightly down to grab one of the chairs in the ward before turning and heading back the other way.

When he had Charles set up in the chair and hooked up to the machine, Hank stood back, making like he was going to remain, but Charles shook his head, not looking back at him as he spoke.

"Leave."

"Charles-"

"No, Hank," he said firmly, a twinge of concern for the young man still remaining. "I don't know what will happen…what I might do. Get out of here. I can take care of myself."

"If you think I'm going to-"

"_Hank,_" Charles said, his voice easily rising over the younger's. "I don't want to force you. Don't make me."

Hank's shoulders finally slumped in defeat. "Fine," he murmured before turning and moving back down the catwalk, wondering guiltily all the while why he'd _ever_ invented this blasted machine.

Once the door had sealed behind him, Hank began to pace feverishly, waiting for Charles to emerge. It wasn't until he felt a hand on his shoulder that he was able to snap out of his trance. He looked down to find Haley staring up at him.

"What's going on?" she asked. "You guys have been down here for hours."

"He…insisted on going straight into Cerebro. I haven't heard anything from him since."

"So he's hunting," Haley said slowly, contemplatively. "You'd know by now if he was in trouble, wouldn't you?"

"Yes…there are…several built-in safety mechanisms…but I'm still worried. He's a man on the edge right now. There's no telling what he'll do. Shaw took too much away from him. He'll _die_ before he lets him take his family away, too."

"Well…that's something I can understand," the blonde said, gently rubbing his shoulder. "Only I never had the chance to fight for my husband. Maybe…you ought to _let_ him fight for them."

"But I don't know what'll happen. I don't think you understand what he might do if we just…let him off the leash like this."

"No. I _do_ understand what a man will do for the person he loves…or for his son. I think what needs to happen, fuzzy, is that you need to go eat something, then get some rest. The others are all asleep already."

"But…someone should be here…incase he comes out," Hank said, glancing nervously back at the door.

"I'll stay. You've had a hard week and you need to get some rest if you're going to be of any use to anyone," she said, giving him a wry smile and draping an arm around his massive shoulders as best she could.

As her body moved against his, Hank suddenly became acutely aware of just how close they were…and his body reacted accordingly. With everything else that had happened, he'd almost managed to forget what he'd done with Blindfold; but now it all came screaming back. He remembered the sight of her naked body stretched out beneath him…just as beautiful as he'd always imagined.

"_Ah…Hank…Hank…hngh…__**Beast**__…"_

The burly mutant felt his chest constrict in horror as the blood shot down. God, would he ever be able to look at her again without remembering…_that?_

"A…all right," he finally stuttered, more from a desire to be away from her than anything else. He pulled away, not looking back at her as he moved toward the elevator. "Thank you," he called over his shoulder.

Haley smiled sadly after him. Normally, she found Hank's awkwardness endearing. She knew exactly what he wanted…and she knew she could want it just as much someday, but right now, she was still torn up over Chris. She needed to give it time…and in the meantime, she could slowly fall in love with his good boy awkwardness…but something was different tonight. Something was different in all of them. Hank seemed almost…_tortured_ over something. Hating to think she was probably the cause of it, Haley turned to glance at the door that led into Cerebro.

"Come on, Prof," she urged. "The guys need you. Don't go crazy on us now."

XxX

At first, all he could feel was pain. He felt the hunger and exhaustion that ravaged his body, but as he sank deeper into the connections Cerebro provided, another thought rose above the physical agony.

_Pain is simply weakness leaving the body._

Clinging to that thought, Charles pushed further…leaving his weak body behind…until he was all thought and knew nothing of pain.

Shaw wouldn't make this easy for him. He knew that much. It would be a struggle to find where he'd taken Erik. So, before beginning his search, he sent his mind to the north…until he found his baby…their dear little boy.

Eric had come down with a fever…sick, afraid…guilty? Why guilty?

_I don't wanna hurt Daddy and Papa._

Being as soothing as he could in his unbalanced state, Charles sent their son a wave of comfort.

_Daddy's with you, sweetheart. He's always with you._

Unfortunately, he couldn't come any closer than that without risking harm to Eric's mind, so he withdrew before he could be tempted…but not before he caught a certain thought from Artemis' mind.

The wolves had accepted Eric…but they all knew there was something different about him…a great power sleeping inside.

_What is it? What does Shaw __**want**__ with you?_

_Let's find out, shall we?_

In his current state, Charles didn't think much of the other voice. He was connected in so many ways right now, seeing so much…there were bound to be other voices.

He searched…and he searched and searched, having no concept of time as he buried himself in the search for his lover. He first sent his mind to the Auschwitz complex, not expecting to find anything, but figuring he still ought to look. As he'd expected, the hidden compound appeared to be deserted.

He searched the world over, but he could find no trace of Erik or the four hellions. Shaw's web of telepathy-blocking technology was clearly expanding.

_Where are you, you bastard? Where did you take him?_

After a time, though, he began to hear the vague blare of an alarm somewhere in the back of his mind.

_What…what's…_

_The safety mechanisms. It means your body's giving out._

_No! It can't! I haven't found him yet!_

_You have the power, you know…to silence that alarm. Why not use it? Just a little bit…_

_Just…a little…?_

_Yes. You **can't** let them interfere with your search **now**, can you?_

_No._

Very loosely, he gripped the power he knew was there. It wouldn't take much…just a little…

_Click._

With that, he felt something shift within the great beast…and the alarm fell silent. Breathing a sigh of relief, he quickly went back to his search.

_Soon, Charles…very soon…_

XxX

_Erik is summoned from his sleep by a loud angry cry. His head isn't foggy for long; he remembers __**why**__ he's being woken up in the middle of the night…but it's still almost strange to think about. It's only been a week, after all._

_Their son…he and Charles have a son._

_Quickly he rises from their bed and moves across the room to the corner where the cradle stands. Little Eric is yowling pitifully and wriggling fitfully on his cushion. Erik checks his diaper. No, clean. It's definitely not time for him to be eating._

"_What's wrong, Liebkind?" he asks as he gently lifts the baby boy into his arms, cradling him against his bare chest. He starts to rock him as he presses several tender kisses to his small head. "Stille, mein Eric. Alles ist gut. We don't want to wake your Daddy."_

_But it seems that Eric is inconsolable. When the rocking and the kisses fail, Erik begins to pace the room, humming quietly as he rubs the little boy's back. He doesn't remember the words to the old lullaby…perhaps he never really knew them…but he remembers the tune…something Mama used to sing…before the camp…_

…_and there's magic in this melody. Eric finally begins to calm down. His cries slowly begin to dwindle down to sniffles, and finally to a few hiccups as he drops back to sleep. Erik continues to hold him, still humming, simply marveling at the baby in his arms…his and Charles'…their baby boy. If someone had told him two years ago that he would be a father today, he would have dismissed that person as a lunatic. He just…wasn't cut out for this sort of thing…and yet…here he is._

_As he moves to lay Eric back in his cradle, his gaze briefly shifts back to the bed…and finds Charles lying on his side, propped up on one elbow and fairly beaming at them._

"_And here you were worried you couldn't do this."_

"_Shut up, you," he says with a smirk of his own._

"_You're very good with him, you know," Charles says as Erik comes to sit on the bed, still holding the sleeping baby. Being careful not to jostle him, the telepath moves to sit beside them._

"_Guess so," Erik says, inhaling the sweet baby scent as he watches his son sleep._

"_Perhaps you just thought about it too much before," Charles says, moving a little closer. "Can…can I-"_

"_Sure," he says, receiving the images from the other man loud and clear. Being very careful, he passes Eric over to Charles, who rests him easily against his own chest, kissing the downy fuzz atop his head with a warm smile. The baby rubs his nose against his father in his sleep before settling back down._

"_He…really is beautiful," Charles whispers, looking for a moment like he might cry._

"_He's perfect," Erik says, gently draping an arm around the two of them._

"_Yes…it's too bad those happy times are all over now," his lover says, his voice going hard._

"_What?" Erik demands, his head snapping up. He looks to Charles…only to find his eyes burning blue._

"_You heard me…darling," he says mockingly, his smile twisting into a morbid leer. _

"_**You,**" Erik hisses, half in anger and half in horror._

"_Hush," Onslaught says, pressing a finger to his lips, but still keeping Eric firmly out of his reach. "You'll wake him."_

"_Give him **back** to me," Erik orders, growling low in his throat._

"_Why bother?" the other says, rising slowly from the bed and drifting away from him. "Our son is just like **me**, Erik…a great power sleeping deep inside him…a power that others will **covet**. Charles couldn't hold out forever, and neither can he. Eventually, you will lose them both. Why fight it?"_

"_Because they're **mine!** I won't let you or Shaw or anyone else take them away from me!"_

"_Oh, Erik, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk," he tuts, continuing to back away, while Erik follows several steps behind. "They're already gone."_

_With that, they both burst into flames._

Erik awoke from the nightmare with a horrified cry. It didn't take him long to realize it was only a nightmare, but the fire seemed to have leapt from the dream realm. It wasn't just behind his eyelids anymore. His entire body felt like it was on fire. His limbs shook with every twitch of muscle and his skin was drenched in sweat, which the uniform was designed to wick away, but that didn't matter. His next realization was that he'd been stripped naked…and tied down to a metal table with thick coils of rope. He could feel the table only very vaguely in his mind, and when he tried to grasp it with his mutant sense, his control seemed to slip through his fingers like water.

_Verdammt! Why won't it work?_

"Ah, he rejoins the living at last," Shaw's icy yet soothing voice was suddenly in his ears. As he stepped into Erik's view, the first thing he noticed was that his old…instructor wasn't wearing his ridiculous helmet at the moment.

"Won't…Charles find you?" he managed to ask through clenched teeth.

"No…not here. Here, you're mine…just like you were twenty-four years ago," Shaw said with a gentle smirk. The metal-kine had to struggle not to vomit. "So tell me, mein kleinen Erik…what do you think of my new cocktail? The drug coursing through your system is what you're feeling now. It was developed by my top scientists…especially for _your_ mutation. I suppose it isn't working at full capacity yet…as you can still make the table move a little…but it _will_ completely cut off your control of metal…for a time, at least," the older mutant said, running a hand slowly up his leg.

"You…you won't keep me here," he snarled, trying his best not to let his panic show. Without his powers…he would be nearly helpless; and helpless and at Shaw's mercy was just about the last place he wanted to be. No matter how hard he struggled, he could never completely banish the childhood terror. "Charles will come. I found you before. He can _definitely_ find you."

"But will he find us in time? It really is sweet…you holding out hope that your dear lover will come and _rescue_ you. You didn't have that before. That's why I think this time around's going to be that much more interesting."

"I'm not afraid of you…Herr Doktor," he said, not quite looking at him as he spoke.

"It isn't so much your fear that I need, mein Erik. I only need your rage…your rage and your pain. Charles was starting to take that away from you, and I simply couldn't have that…not after I'd worked so hard to cultivate it. So I suppose we'll have to start back at square one," he said as he drew something small and silvery from his pocket. Erik couldn't help the widening of his eyes when he saw that it was the coin…the reichsmark that he still carried with him…and he could barely sense it.

"So tell me, Liebkind…what do you think's going to happen to you this time if you can't move the coin?"

XxX

(A/N) So…who's ready to see our boys get really messed up again?

Notes: The song here is from Bambi II. For some reason, I just really adore that song.


	6. The Firebird Suite

**A Song of Steel and Fire**

_Chapter 6: The Firebird Suite_

Artemis grinned as she watched the wrestling match in the clearing from her perch in one of the taller trees. Eric was feeling better today and he, Alex, and the two pups were rolling around in a pile in the dirt. She'd been out gathering berries and rhubarb, but when she'd heard the noise on her way back in, she'd quickly scaled the tree to have a look unobserved…and it really was adorable to see the four of them rough-housing together. Her observations, however, were soon interrupted by a plaintive whine from below. She glanced down to find Shadow staring up at her.

_Come down, Hunter. You should not be higher than me._

Artemis let out a wolfish chuckle as she slipped easily down from her branch, moving to her knees and giving him his due nuzzle beneath his jaw before rising a little to give him a good scratch behind the ears.

_You are still my baby brother._

Shadow shook his great head from side to side and smacked a paw against Artemis' shoulder. Then he nosed her face, pointing her gaze in the direction of the wrestling pile.

_Does that mean I get some say in your choice of mate?_

Artemis gave several yips, tilting her head to the side.

_What do you think of him?_

Shadow also tilted his head to the side, giving a few quiet yips before resting his head on her shoulder.

_He is strong. Lightning will fell many beasts for you. _

As Artemis had predicted when she'd first known Alex, he had come to be known to her wolf family as Like the Lightning. Tilting her head even further to the side, Artemis directed her brother's gaze to one member of the tumbling group, giving a questioning whine.

_And the pup?_

Shadow's entire countenance grew guarded at this. He shook himself all over and his gaze shifted between her and the human child several times.

_I think your pup is dangerous, Hunter._

Artemis offered a quiet howl of protest.

_What harm is he? He is only a pup._

Shadow sniffed the air for several minutes, shook his head again, then scratched at the dirt with his paw, whining gravely

_That is true…but there is still something dangerous sleeping inside him. The name I will call him is Ember. His heat is small now…but the potential exists for it to burst into an open flame…and fire destroys everything it touches. Your Lightning knows this. Ember will know it, too. The best any of us can do is protect him…and hope he remains an ember._

With that, Shadow padded away from her, beginning to howl out a sad song about a pup who was too fast for her own good…their beloved Swift Wind. As the other wolves joined in the chorus, Alex extricated himself from the puppy pile and came to sit beside her.

"What are they doing?"

"Singing for Swift Wind…and for Ember," she said, watching the three young ones with a sad smile.

"Ember?"

"It's what they're going to call him…Eric…and his song is already too much like Swift Wind's for my liking…a pup with too much power."

Alex didn't need to say anything more. He understood what she was talking about. Draping an arm around her shoulders, he held her close while they watched the little ones play…and listened to the wolves sing their lament for a child who had died too soon.

XxX

For Erik, being without his power was like being submerged in cold, deep water. All of his other senses seemed slow and muted. He could _see_ metal all around him…the walls, the tables, Shaw's instruments…blades, needles, and syringes…but he couldn't _feel_ any of it. It was like the years had never passed and he was still a helpless child…only this was even worse than before. Back then, he'd at least had _some_ sense of the metal around him, even if he couldn't yet control it. Now…it was like his mutation was _gone_…as if it had never been. What _was_ he without it?

"It won't be forever," Shaw constantly reassured him, running blades along his tough skin and deftly reopening all the old scars. "Just until you understand."

"Understand _what?_" he hissed, struggling not to cry out, even as his body screamed in agony.

"That you can't have both peace and power. It isn't possible…and I won't have you giving up your power for something as _useless_ as a family."

"They're not…useless," Erik said softly, not looking at Shaw. "They're…the only things that matter."

Shaw sighed. "And that's exactly why we had to go back to square one. I thought I'd beaten that out of you."

"You _won't_…not ever."

"Are you really going to start underestimating me _now_, Erik…when you know just what I'm capable of?" he asked, slapping the flat of the blade hard against the younger mutant's thigh. The only sign of pain Erik showed was a tiny wince.

"I _do_ know what you're capable of, Herr Doktor…but I know what _he's _capable of, too. I'm not afraid," he said, his voice a little stronger this time.

"Oh, I think we _both_ know what exactly your beloved is _capable_ of," Shaw said with a sneer. "Really, I'd say he's capable of killing just as many as you did…just to save your life."

_He's trying to get a rise out of you. Don't give him anything._

"Anyone's capable of it," the metal-kine said sagely.

"But you don't believe _he_ would do that," Shaw pressed.

"He wouldn't have…not before…but then you and I came along."

"Oh? So you _admit_ you're at least partly responsible for the changes in him?" Shaw asked, his voice rising in interest.

"I know it. If it weren't for me…my feelings for him…you wouldn't have become as interested in him as you did," he answered honestly.

"Maybe that's true…but we can never know, can we. Even if we _hadn't_ been connected through you, your Charles has a _very_ interesting mind…and I _would_ know. I've known every. Last. _Inch._ Of him…just as you have," he said, shuddering in pleasure as he remembered. Erik felt a flare of anger begin to burn in his chest at this.

_Don't give him anything. You're stronger than this._

"Telepaths really are exquisite creatures," Shaw went on. "They can't resist reaching out to touch other minds. They're like addicts that way, I've found…almost…_sluts_ for it."

"Shut up," Erik couldn't quite keep from growling.

"I know you've seen it…what Charles and I did together. Emma showed you."

"You didn't _do_ anything together. That was…rape," Erik hissed, barely able to make himself say the word. "You _raped_ him…even if it was only in his mind…it still happened."

"He _liked_ it, though…the battle between us…the _press_ of our minds. He _came_ for me, you know?"

"_I said 'shut up'!_" Erik shouted, his control snapping as he struggled against his restraints. The only thing he accomplished was to make his wounds even worse and to exhaust himself of the little strength he'd regained. Shaw chuckled as he watched.

"That isn't going to help, Erik. You're still weak from Florence. Bleeding to death certainly isn't going to make things any better."

Finally conceding that the struggle was pointless, Erik collapsed back on the table, breathing heavily. "If you were…just going to _let_ me bleed to death…you would have done it a long time ago."

Shaw outright laughed at this. "You know me well, mein Liebkind. You were right, though."

"About what?" he ground out.

"What you said to Charles on your first night together. I never did take your virginity…like I did with the others. I'm _amazed_ you managed to keep it as long as you did."

"What does _that_ have to do with _anything?_" Erik asked, now thoroughly confused along with being exhausted and in pain.

"The fact that nothing seems to motivate the two of you quite like the threat of harm to the other."

"What are…you getting at?" Erik asked, though the sinking feeling in his stomach told him he already knew.

"Do you know…what the Nazis did to homosexuals?" Shaw asked, smiling down at him as he rested a hand on his forehead. When he remained silent, the older mutant shook his head. "You wouldn't, would you. You weren't quite old enough to be considered in that category…but when they weren't castrating them, a favored pastime was to rape them with broken rulers. While I _could_ do that to you, somehow…I don't think it would quite send the message I want."

Before all of this had the opportunity to really gel in his mind, Shaw slammed his head back against the table. With the extra force of Shaw's mutation behind the blow, Erik could almost swear his skull had split open with the pain. He barely even noticed when Shaw undid his restraints, let alone attempted to _do_ something about it. Shaw's words were a dazed jumble in his head as he was turned onto his stomach.

"I'd like to tell you this won't hurt a bit, but…heh, I'd be lying, wouldn't I," he said as he re-strapped him to the table. The metal surface was already slick with blood…the coppery scent of it hung heavy in his nose. The next thing he felt was a hand on his bare ass.

For a moment, he felt panic. For a moment, he struggled against the pain, the fear, the restraints, the disorientation…the _humiliation_…but he soon gave up on it. After all…it was only pain. What more could Shaw really do to him?

"Do you…really think you can hurt me anymore?" he pointed out, his voice thick and bleary.

"No," Shaw crooned as he mounted him, leaning down close to whisper in his ear. "Not physically, anyway. _That_ you've evolved beyond…but this isn't _for_ you."

"Ich…Ich verstehe nicht…"

"This is for _Charles_…and for your son. _They_ will see this…and it will _ruin_ them," he explained, licking his ear.

"Was?"

"The only way I can hurt you, Erik…is to hurt them…and this will most certainly hurt them…to see _this_ happen to you."

"Nein…_nein_…" he whispered, struggling briefly, but unable to coordinate his mind and body, still dazed from Shaw's blow. "Du kann nicht…"

"I _can_, Erik," he whispered back as he positioned himself, "and I _will_."

"Bitte…bitte…nicht…dies nicht tun. Nur Mich töten," he pleaded. If Charles and Eric saw this…his life would be over.

"Oh, mein Schatz…that would be much too easy."

After that…there was only pain.

XxX

When Pele finally came out of her drugged sleep, she didn't know where she was. When she saw the lab-like set up around her cot, her first thought was that she was still in Auschwitz. What had she done to make Sebastian angry this time? Why would he bring her here? When the door to the ward suddenly began to open, she was on her knees almost immediately.

"I won't do it again! I'm sorry! Please…don't keep me in here!" she pleaded, not looking up.

"Pele, you…what are you talking about?" an unfamiliar voice asked. Now that she thought on it, her own voice sounded strange.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Pele?" the stranger said quietly, kneeling before her. "Come on. Look up. Look at me."

Slowly, Pele complied, her fear dissipating as a furry, blue visage filled her line of sight.

"Hank?" she mumbled uncertainly as memory slowly began to return.

"Yes. You know me…don't you? I'm your friend. I'm not going to hurt you."

"I…I didn't…know where I was," she explained as he helped her climb back up onto the cot. "The nightmares…they were all so real…"

"That mix they had you on was extremely potent. I don't even want to _think_ about half of the drugs that were in your system. There was one I've never even _seen_ before. If my hypothesis is correct…it was some sort of rudimentary telepathy-blocking drug."

"Shaw can _do_ that?"

"Well, he certainly has the resources to develop something like that. My guess would be you were his guinea pig."

"Wouldn't be the first time," the young telepath said bitterly. "Where's everyone else? Are they all right?"

"No," Hank finally answered after several minutes of silence. "Mystique and Sean are okay…enough, anyway, but…the Hellfire Club took Erik."

"Oh, God…"

"Mm-hm," Hank nodded at the expression of horror and pity on her face. "As you can imagine, Charles isn't taking it too well."

"Where is he?"

"He's been in Cerebro for four days now. He wouldn't even accept medical attention. I'm worried, but…none of the alarms have gone off, so…he must be holding up okay."

"Yeah…sure…" Pele said slowly as a disquiet look worked its way across her face. If none of the sensors had been tripped, the professor was more than likely all right.

Unless…

"_Shit!_" she hissed as she jumped up from the cot, darting from the med ward.

"Pele? What is it?" Hank asked, the worry in his voice rising as he hurried after her.

Pele didn't hear him. She made straight for Cerebro. The faint psychic whispers she heard from within already beginning to terrify her. The moment she reached it, she began to pound on the door.

"Charles! What the _Hell_ are you _doing_ in there?"

No answer. There was only the faint psychic signature she knew all too well.

"Stop this right now, Charles! You _know_ this is dangerous!"

Still nothing. The faint presence she detected almost seemed to laugh.

"I know you think you need to find Erik, but this isn't the way! If you think throwing away your sanity to use this power is going to make Erik happy, you're _wrong!_"

_Charles belongs to __**me**__, Pele. Even your strongest barrier can't keep us apart forever…not when he __**needs**__ me…when he __**wants**__ me._

"_No!_" she screamed, pounding on the door even harder. "I don't want to fight you, Charles! Don't make me!"

_Stay back!_

It was Charles this time…the real one, his voice strained and desperate in her head.

_I have to find him. I __**have**__ to! I have…to __**save**__ him!_

_This isn't the way. Do you really think Shaw hasn't found a way to block your power? You can search the world over and never find a trace of them, no matter how long you look. Please, Charles, __**please**__…let me in._

_No,_ he answered decisively after a lengthy silence. Pele sighed, her fists slipping from the door and coming to rest at her sides, clenched so tightly as to be drawing tiny droplets of blood from her palms.

"Then you leave me no choice."

Moving both hands up to her temples, Pele slowly began to work her mind through the tangled web that was Cerebro, reaching for Charles' mind. All the while, she trembled. She _knew_ she could do this…but that didn't mean she wasn't afraid.

"Pele…what are you doing?" Hank asked her.

"Getting him out of there," she answered, deftly twisting her way through the strands of psychic energy. As she wrapped herself around his mind, he 'eyed' her warily.

_Don't interfere,_ he warned her.

_Too late for that,_ she said before lashing out at him.

Briefly, they grappled together, tearing into each other's minds. Under normal circumstances, Charles would have easily defeated her, but he had pushed himself to the brink of death, and he was caught somewhere between himself…and someone else. Pele easily broke the connection.

The moment the link was severed, the machine shut down. The door slid open and, for a moment, they stood, staring at the sight before them in shocked horror.

The helmet had been torn from the wiring. The connector cables had somehow been wired directly into Charles' temples. Blood leaked down the sides of his face as he turned to look at them. Telekinetic wind whispered through the cavernous machine, signifying the nightmare presence, but the most horrifically recognizable thing of all was the blaze of blue flame in his lost eyes.

"Charles…" Pele whispered in agony.

"W-why…?" he barely managed to choke out before collapsing. One of the cables ripped violently from his head as he sprawled across the console, a small arc of blood spraying into the air in its wake.

"_Charles!_" Hank shouted as he ran forward. As Pele fell to her knees, dumbstruck, she vaguely noticed others rushing past her. They must have been drawn by the commotion.

Shouts filled the air, but it seemed to Pele that she had suddenly gone deaf. The only thing she was capable of perceiving anymore was the bloodied telepath as Hank and Alistair carried him from the machine…and all she could think as she watched him bleed was…

…_I could have stopped this._

XxX

Hank and Alistair were in surgery with Charles for the rest of the night. He'd used his latent telekinesis to wire Cerebro directly into his brain in order to deepen the connection to the machine. The brain itself was unharmed, but the tiny holes in the skull had to be sealed and his head stitched up. Apart from the surgery, a blood transfusion was also required, as he'd lost a considerable amount…a contingency that Hank was, thankfully, well prepared for.

Once Charles was out of critical condition and Hank finally had him hooked up to I.V. drips and a feeding tube, there was nothing to do but wait. Alistair, Elsie, and Haley kept themselves busy trying to keep the atmosphere calm and at least semi-normal for the students. Hank, Sean, and Mystique kept themselves busy trying to track the Hellfire Club, with occasional assistance from Haley, as Mystique would go running anytime Destiny indicated the slightest distress. The baby really was due any day now. Pele was still somewhat in shock after her brush with Onslaught. The only one of them who seemed to maintain even a vague sense of control was Destiny.

Currently, Mystique was sitting in the living room with her while Haley and Sean worked a lead and Hank checked up on Charles and Pele. Destiny was lying on the couch with her head in Mystique's lap. As Mystique stroked her auburn hair, the shapeshifter struggled with the words she wanted to say.

Every time a situation like this one arose…at least, one which she hadn't been previously informed about…she couldn't help but be upset by the things her lover had known about beforehand. She may have promised to stand with her through this, but she was like any other mortal. Just because she understood…didn't mean she was any less horrified by what Destiny had known would happen to Charles. She had to think very hard about where to turn the conversation. There was no sense in talking about what had already happened…or what _would_ happen…no matter how much she was starting to fear for Charles and Erik's safety…and for the birth of their son.

"You know…you never did tell me."

"Tell you what?" Destiny asked as if she didn't already know.

"About how Irene Kinross became Moira MacTaggert. It isn't exactly fair. I mean…you know the sob story of poor little Raven Darkholme, whose parents tried to drown her when her skin turned blue," she said, trying to sound casual, "but I don't know the sob story of Irene Kinross."

"There's not much to tell," she said, also trying to sound casual as she glanced down at their joined hands, which rested on her bulging stomach. "My mum married the wrong man is all."

"And that man was…?" Mystique pressed.

"Joseph McLeod. They were college sweethearts…went through medical school together. She says the first few years of marriage were good…before I was born. The three of them were a happy little family. But then, well, her career took off and his, ah…didn't," she said delicately.

"He turned violent," the shapeshifter supplied.

"Yeah. As most bad marriages will go, it started with the drinking and the shouting…then escalated to violence. She never said it as such…and I didn't know for certain until my power manifested, but…I know now…that I was conceived the first time he raped her, so…I was definitely an accident," she said, her face carefully blank as she tried to remain casual.

"Irene-"

"The war just pushed them further apart," she continued, trying to get everything out. "He went to serve as an army medic and she stayed at home. With her medical expertise, she was roped into the development of biological weapons. When Alistair was old enough, he joined up, too…and both he and our father came back different people. The big brother I loved so much was quieter and more reserved…and Joseph was worse than ever. He drank himself stupid, couldn't hold a job…took it all out on Mum. She took the worst of it onto herself…tried to keep it from me…because I was so young…but his anger did turn on me eventually…" she murmured, her voice trailing off.

"What did he do?"

Destiny didn't say anything, but the images projected into Mystique's head spoke much louder than any words ever could.

_Irene was in the shower…couldn't have been more than sixteen. She was humming quietly to herself as she rinsed the shampoo from her hair, thinking about what she ought to wear for her date that night…when the curtain was suddenly ripped open and she was grabbed from behind…slammed to the shower floor…and a tongue that tasted of whiskey was shoved into her mouth._

"_You look so much like your mum, ye know…li'l __**slut!**__" Joseph's drunken voice slurred in her ear._

"_Dad…stop…please stop…" she begged, terrified, and still dazed from having her head slammed against the floor. The water was still going, washing the filth from his clothing down onto her._

"_I'll teach ye…to be like __**her!**__" he growled as he forced her legs apart._

"_Daddy! __**Please!**__" she cried. _

_It didn't matter how loud she screamed. Mum was out shopping and Alistair wasn't home from work yet. No one could hear her. _

_The water had run cold by the time he'd finished._

"I tried to hide it…I did," Destiny whispered, the only indication of her emotion the strength with which she gripped Mystique's hand. "I was so…ashamed. I thought it was _my_ fault. It happened…three more times…but that first time…he got me pregnant."

Mystique couldn't stop the gasp of horror that came at this. Before she could say anything, though, Destiny barreled on, _needing_ to get it out now.

"That's how it all came out. I'd never been on a date before…never had a boyfriend…the night it happened was supposed to be my first date. Mum and Alistair…_demanded_ to know who the father was…and it all just…came out. I couldn't stand it anymore. Then…when he came home that night…he and Alistair went for a drive…and I never saw him again. Until my mutation manifested…I didn't really care to know what had happened to him," she answered in response to the question Mystique didn't ask.

"And…and did you…the baby…?"

Destiny shook her head. "No. The same night Alistair and Joseph went for a drive, Mum took me to the hospital where she worked…and performed the abortion herself. I didn't care…I was still too much in shock over everything. No one ever knew."

"God…God…Irene…" Mystique murmured several times, barely able to process it…and still, the precog carried on.

"When I was old enough…I left. Got as far away as I could…came to America….took my mum's first name and her mum's maiden name…left Irene Kinross behind. When I was a full citizen, I joined the CIA…made myself into a woman good enough to be a field agent. I _never_ wanted to be that weak again," she hissed. "That…that was who I was when I first met you and Charles."

"How did you survive it?" Mystique finally made herself ask. "All alone? At least Charles and I had each other."

"Even _I'm_ not sure about that, though…I think what I'd say now…with everything I know…is that I survived because I _had_ to. I couldn't let him beat me. But you know, somehow…after my power manifested…my own pain didn't seem to matter as much anymore. It seemed…insignificant…in the grand scheme of things."

"What are you talking about? Of course it's important," Mystique insisted, laying her forehead against Destiny's. "You should know…better than most…your pain makes you who you are."

"Maybe it did…before I was a mutant…but I'm afraid there…there's so much now…that a lot of my self's been lost along the way. I see events as images on a screen…viewed through a wall of glass. I _know_ Charles and the others are my friends…but they're also pieces in this cosmic chess game in my head. There's very little that's still mine…that belongs just to me."

"Like what?"

"You," she said, pulling Mystique's head a little further down to kiss her lips. "You and Kurt."

"I guess…you precogs and telepaths _all_ need something to keep you sane…when you've got the whole world in your heads. I don't think I ever understood that with Charles. I expected too much of him," Mystique said, feeling guilty as the revelation moved through her.

_I didn't really understand…how much he needs them._

"He doesn't blame you for it. Even other mutants can't really understand."

Placated only slightly by this thought, another one soon alighted in her head.

"Hey…Kurt's not going to be a precog, is he?"

Destiny laughed quietly at this. "No…and thank whatever powers there are for that. We'd pretty much cancel each other out constantly. No, I…I think you'll like his mutation very much."

XxX

"So, Emma, feeling up for a little telepathy?"

Emma kept her face carefully blank as she looked up to see Shaw striding into the living quarters. The last time the group had parted, it had not been on good terms, and Shaw had mostly been in with his little toy since then.

"Perhaps…but I thought you were enjoying your _alone_ time with Erik."

"Oh, I _have_ been; make no mistake, but I find myself in need of your particular talents once again."

"And why is that?" she asked, knowing she was pushing her luck.

"With Charles, it was sedatives. With Erik, it will be hallucinogens. I've already started introducing them with the current regimen. I might need you to steer a little bit…and maybe take some keepsakes for Charles."

Emma's trademark chilly smile crept across her face at this. "Now _that_ I could do."

XxX

(A/N) Okay, got a few translations for this one.

Ich…Ich verstehe nicht = I…I don't understand. Was? = what? Du kann nicht = You can't. Bitte…bitte…nicht…dies nicht tun = Please…please…don't…don't do this. Nur Mich töten = Just kill me. (My German getting any better?)

Don't really have any other notes except to say that…yeah, I am one messed up little writer.


	7. How is it You Sing?

**A Song of Steel and Fire**

_Chapter 7: How is it You Sing?_

Even though Hank had decided to keep her under observation in the med ward, Pele didn't even try to calm down, as the furry mutant had suggested, well knowing he ought not sedate her…and knowing what would happen if he tried. The young telepath sat cross-legged in a chair beside Charles' cot, keeping a constant eye on him. It hadn't yet been twenty-four hours since they'd pulled him from Cerebro. There'd been no signs of Onslaught since he'd passed out, but she was still wary. She knew better.

Over and over again in her head, she asked, _Why did you do it? __**Why?**__ You __**know**__ how dangerous he is!_

The thoughts chased each other around her head in a ceaseless cycle of guilt, hurt, and confusion as she stared at the bandages wrapped around her friend's head. At the very least, Charles would be grateful they hadn't had to shave his head, but he would probably always have scars on his temples…to serve as a reminder of what had almost happened…what could _still_ happen. Just how contained _was_ the dark part of Charles' personality? Taking several deep breaths, Pele finally decided to find out. Raising a hand to her own temple, she sought out his comatose mind with her own.

At first, it was just a typical unconscious mind…drifting among dreams…images of Erik and their son…the three of them together…smiling, laughing…a kiss from Erik…a brief flare of heat…nightmares, too…Shaw with his hands on Eric…Erik vanishing into thin air…Cerebro, for all the complex beauty it could show, showing an empty world. Without the two of them…there was no love anywhere…

However, as she moved deeper, Pele began to feel a layer beneath the unconscious surface that was very much awake. Hesitating for several minutes, she finally pushed through her own barrier, being careful to keep it intact. It worried her to see how thin her shield had become.

It wasn't long before she was confronted by an astral manifestation of Charles' darker self. Smirking at her approach, he leaned casually against a wall as a setting took shape from the darkness around them…the cell in Auschwitz where the two of them had first battled…if it could even be called a battle.

"Well, if it isn't my pint-sized jailer. What brings you to _my_ neck of the woods, my dear?"

"What happened back there?"

"Heheh, it's very simple, Iolana. Charles called on me…and I came."

"I don't think he even knows he did it. His control's just about unmatched. How did you sneak by like that?"

"Charles is a desperate soul right now. There's very little a desperate soul won't sink to. I doubt he would even notice if he _killed_ the lot of you in his current state…just to rescue his precious boys."

Pele wanted to argue, but could she? Really? After all…who was closer to Charles than Onslaught? He practically _was_ him. Right now, the wall that divided them was so thin as to be almost negligible.

"Why did you…the cables…like that?" she couldn't quite manage to make herself ask clearly.

"Ah, yes. That _was_ a nice touch, wasn't it. Mostly, it was a way to stretch the telekinetic muscles, and Charles certainly didn't object to the suggestion that he get closer to the machine. It all worked out nicely."

"He might have died."

"Iolana? Is that _concern_ I hear?" he chastised.

"I know it was you who shut down the alarms. Phrase it however you want to, but you did it…or suggested it be done, at least," she continued as if she hadn't heard the jibe. "Unable to know what was happening to his body…he might have _died!_"

"I would have stepped in had it come to that. After all, I still need him alive; but in the meantime, it's good for him to push his limits…to walk the razor's edge while he gets used to the fact that he can't do without me…that he _wants_ the power I offer."

"That isn't true," Pele said, her voice firm, even though it was a struggle to hold Onslaught's burning gaze.

"Isn't it?" he fired back. "I should think the waning strength of your barrier would be proof enough of what his desire is."

"No…that's only proof of _your_ desire…and even that I've never understood. After the events that led to your…birth…you seem to hold with Shaw's ideals…and yet you would kill the people Charles loves most…all of them mutants."

"Only because they would destroy me."

"What _do_ you want, exactly?"

"Want? I want what _all_ creatures want: to be what I am. If I must destroy humans in order to create a world where that's possible, so be it. I will destroy anyone who stands in my way…even the mutants."

For a long while, the two telepaths just stared at each other, _into _each other. Pele was the first to look away, shivering as she closed her eyes. "All right. All right," she said slowly as she began to withdraw.

"You can't keep me here forever, Iolana," he warned her as he faded into darkness.

"I know that," she said, her exterior calm as she re-forged her flimsy barrier, putting strength she hardly knew she possessed into it. "Doesn't mean I'll give up, though."

When she withdrew fully from Charles' mind and opened her eyes, she found herself staring into his blue ones.

"You're trembling," he said quietly, concern in his eyes. "Are you all right?"

Slowly, she nodded, beginning to feel the tremors he was talking about. "Just…very tired…and afraid," she admitted.

"What happened?" he asked her, the look in his eyes saying he did and did not want to know.

"How much do you remember?"

"Just…bits and pieces," he said, slowly closing his eyes. "I remember…they took Erik…and I remember telling Hank to leave me alone in Cerebro. I remember checking on Eric and the other two, but…everything else is fuzzy. I think I heard you call my name…and I remember…feeling pain in my head…it hurt so much," he murmured, reaching a hand up to feel the bandage around his head. As his eyes opened, they began to fill with horror. "Pele, what…what happened? What did I do?"

Sighing Pele climbed down from her chair and came to his side. If she could have, she would have spared him this, but to show it to him was the only way she might stop the situation from getting worse.

"You called on Onslaught, Charles."

For a moment, the elder telepath stared at her in shock. The only word he could manage to get out was, "_What?_"

"It's true. In your desperation, you allowed him to slip through…to use the powers you know he possesses."

"Did…did I…is anyone hurt?"

"Not as such…just you…and I'm a little drained from fighting against you."

"What…what did I-"

Before he could get anything more out, Pele rested a hand on his, being careful of the tubes hooked up to him, and simply gave him her memories of the past twenty-four hours…her realization of what must be happening, pleading with him, the battle for control, and finally, the sight of him wired into Cerebro, bloodied and demonic-looking.

"God, I – I didn't even realize…Pele…I'm sorry."

"Such is the nature of desperation. You can sink to levels you would have never thought possible. I've reinforced the barrier between you two, but I don't know if it will last…with you in the precarious state that you are…which is why I think you ought to stay away from Cerebro," she said, trying to sound firm, though she still trembled with nerves.

"But…Erik…"

"_I'll_ continue the search in Cerebro. You _know_ I can operate it. You've taught me well. The others are all working leads…and in case you've forgotten, I _also_ know many of the Hellfire Club's bases of operations around the world. I can search more efficiently; besides, we also have the advantage of the fact that Shaw didn't know I was alive until recently. He wouldn't have had any reason to change things around because of what I know. The best thing _you_ can do right now is get some rest and heal up for when I _do_ find them. You've pushed yourself to within an inch of your life and Onslaught will take advantage of that if you let him. Are we agreed?" she finished, her tone not really brooking for any argument.

"Yes," Charles answered, nodding his head slightly. "You…you're right. There's…no sense in risking it."

"Good," Pele said, her shoulders slumping slightly in relief. "Once Hank's finished with repairs and he gives me the okay, I'll begin immediately."

"All right," Charles said. A slightly uncomfortable silence fell between them before the professor broke it with, "Iolana…I never have thanked you, have I?"

"For what?"

"For…being my safety net. For stepping in when I get stupid. You're so young to see such things."

Pele raised an eyebrow, shaking her head. "You could say that to any other mutant kid. Not me. Besides, I'm sort of responsible for him, aren't I…since _I_ woke him up six years ago."

"No," Charles said softly, carefully reaching a hand up to touch her cheek. "You mustn't blame yourself for that. Onslaught is, well…he's _me_."

Again, Pele shook her head, gently moving his hand from her cheek and guiding it to rest back on the bed. "He's what other people turned you into. You don't have to be like that."

"Neither do you," Charles protested, seeing the self-loathing in her eyes.

"No…that's what people like Erik and I are _for_. We know what it is to live on our hate…and it's our job to keep that from being the fate of the people we care about."

"Still…you shouldn't have to offer yourself up…as a sacrifice," Charles said slowly, already beginning to feel sleepy again.

Pele leaned over and brushed the few stray hairs from his face as his eyes slid shut…as if he were the child and she the adult.

"You make the mistake of assuming the sacrifice isn't willingly made."

XxX

The world seemed to lose focus after the rape. Erik couldn't understand why, but he felt a constant weight of exhaustion all throughout his body. He couldn't seem to retain strength anymore. All he wanted was to sleep…to sleep and forget.

He had known pain before; he had known it all his life. Why was _this_ so different?

_Because of the __**shame**__,_ a gnawing voice at the back of his head whispers…_that he still has this much power over you…that you weren't strong enough to keep this from happening…that this is something you can't protect Eric and Charles from._

As he silently tears himself apart, Shaw's voice joins with his own…a reflection of six years ago here in the present.

"I don't _want_ to hurt you, Erik. I never did. I want to help you…you're like a son to me, after all."

He doesn't need to express his abhorrence for such a thought with words. His disgust is plain.

"It's true, mein kleinen Erik. You were the first young mutant I ever discovered…not unlike our Charles and his gaggle of children. And I protected you. You can't deny that. Your life in the camp could have been much worse if not for me. What would they have done with a _freak_ like you if I hadn't been there to intervene?"

No mystery there. He would have been dead inside a few hours…used for target practice. _Let's see how many times we can hit the little freak before he dies._ That isn't so much the point, though.

"I would have rather died. I would have _rather_ died than be a part of what you did!" he screams, releasing years of pent up shame and anguish in the sounds.

"And yet here we stand, Liebling…with you so much _stronger_ for it. You certainly _would_ have died had I not done what I did. Why don't you want that for your own son?"

He snarls like a wild animal at this. The mere _thought_ of his baby boy suffering anything like what he went through makes him crazy. "Of _course_ I want Eric to be strong…but not strong like us."

"What _do_ you want, then?"

"I don't want my son to be like me. There's _nothing_ good about me."

_I just…want a world where he doesn't have to be afraid…_

_Then why are you on their side?_

This voice ends up being a twisted combination of Shaw's and his.

_Even if he never manifests as a mutant, the humans will never suffer the son of two mutant __**men**__ to live. They'll hunt you all down…just like your first family. You __**know**__ that._

Eric is running toward him, smiling and laughing as he holds his arms out to be picked up.

"Papa!"

The gleeful shout suddenly becomes a terrified cry as another pair of arms snatches him away. Shaw!

"Papa! Papa!" Eric cries. "Help me! Please help me!"

He runs, but he can't get any closer. He watches in horror as Shaw strips him…straps him to a table.

"_Papa!_"

"_Eric!_" he screams, finally breaking through. He throws himself over his son's body like a shield, feeling fire against his back as he gathers Eric in his arms. He grunts in pain, but he holds tight. Eric clings to him.

"Papa! Papa, I'm scared," he sobs. "Where's Daddy? I can't find Daddy!"

"Daddy's right here, Pumpkin."

Erik looks up. He knows that voice, and it isn't Charles. The fiery blue gaze from his nightmares meets him.

Onslaught.

"Come to me, Liebkind," he says with a smirk, holding out his arms. Erik tries to hold onto him, but the little boy slips through his arms somehow, walking toward Onslaught as if in a trance. The demon smiles at Eric as he gathers him in his arms, cradling him against his chest. As Eric cries quietly, Onslaught sneers back at him over his head.

"Daddy, I don't feel good."

"It's going to be all right, baby. Just let it out."

Onslaught's sneer widens as Eric cries harder, and the crying suddenly turns into screaming as a pair of large, leathery bat wings literally burst out of his shoulder blades.

"Eric!" he shouts, trying to get to him, but unable to move.

"Admit it. This is what you want for him," Onslaught hisses viciously, still somehow managing to comfort the little boy.

"Shut up!"

"Well, something _like_ this, anyway," he says quietly as Eric's screaming slowly begins to lessen. Blood trickles down his back as he clings to Onslaught, the wings occasionally twitching on their own. As the minutes pass, they look less and less like Charles and their son and progressively more demonic. As Onslaught stares at him, fire seems to spring up around them. "Whether or not you _want_ him to be like you, it's the path he's on already."

"Stop this," he mumbles as he shakes his head, barely able to hold the apparition's gaze. "I don't want this."

"Who knows? Perhaps our little Eric Xavier will have a Dresden of his own someday…just like his Papa," Onslaught says, laughing as he vanishes into the flames with Eric. Then, out from the orange-red tendrils of fire emerges the ruined city itself. Even now, he can still hear Charles' despairing voice in his head.

_Erik…what have you done?_

_I didn't…**mean** to…_

Again, he can hear that little child crying…that same helpless voice from six years ago…that innocent baby he'd left to die out of his own shame and horror. For a moment, he can see Eric's face in the flames…and then, worse still…the little girl with the lovely brown curls and the haunting grey eyes.

_Raine…_

"Es tut mir leid…I'm so sorry I didn't protect you…kleine Regentropfen…" he whispers, his voice breaking.

_From the humans,_ Onslaught whispers to him. _You didn't protect her from the humans…and you didn't protect Charles from the pain of that loss._

"_No,_" he hisses back. "In the end…it was Shaw. _He_ killed her…and _he_ hurt Charles."

"Yes. Yes, I did."

He can see Shaw appearing from the flames now, but it isn't his voice coming from his mouth…it's Onslaught's.

"And _Erik_ isn't strong enough to protect them from me, is he?" he taunts. "But there might be someone who is…someone who's strong enough to equal even Onslaught in power."

_Magneto._

XxX

_He's running through the trees. He doesn't know why, but for some reason, he's very excited._

"_Daddy! Papa!" he's shouting as he runs, even though he's out of breath. That must be it. Yes! He's finally going to see them again._

"_Yes, come to me…mein kleinen Eric."_

_Vaguely, he thinks something's wrong, but he doesn't care. He's so close now. He's going to see his parents again._

"_Papa! Daddy!" he shouts as he finally breaks out of the forest…and there they are, waiting for him._

"_Eric!" Daddy calls out to him, smiling as he holds out his arms for him. Eagerly, he runs into them, resting his head gratefully against his daddy's chest as he picks him up and spins him around._

"_I missed you so much," he says, nearly in tears._

"_I know, sweetheart. We missed you, too, but everything's going to be all right now."_

"_Did you beat the bad guys?"_

"_Not…exactly, no," a different voice answers. Stiffening, Eric looks up to find that it's not Daddy holding him…but Shaw. Glancing around fearfully, he finds that both his parents have vanished and he's alone with the bad man._

"_Where are Daddy and Papa?" he asks. He can feel his lower lip start to tremble, but he's not crying yet…even though he really wants to. Shaw shakes his head._

"_It's a terrible thing, Eric. Your parents just went off on their own. They abandoned you."_

"_That…that's not true," he protests, fighting sniffling with all his might._

"_I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but your parents just don't love you anymore. They left you to me."_

"_No!" he screams, beating his fists against the man's chest. "Put me down! I want Daddy and Papa!"_

"_I'm sorry, Eric, but you're never going to see them again. You belong to **me** now," Shaw says, smiling his disgusting smile as he presses his lips harshly against his neck._

"_No…no!" Eric cries, struggling to get free, but too weak and frightened to do much good. "Let me go!"_

"_I told you, Liebkind, you're **mine**," Shaw says as he slips a hand inside his shirt, splaying hot fingers across his belly. Again, the weird feeling starts up in his tummy._

"_NOO!"_ he screamed as he bolted awake.

Almost instantly, the den was a flurry of movement. Wind Song and his sister were yipping in concern. Firestorm was up from where she'd been lying and was soon beside him, licking his face.

"Eric?" he heard Rosie's voice from outside. She and Alex slept above ground with the other wolves. Her face soon appeared at the mouth of the den. "Eric, are you all right?"

Sobbing, Eric crawled out of the den and into the young woman's arms, wrapping his own tightly around her.

"Where's Daddy and Papa? I want Daddy and Papa!" he cried. "I wanna go _home_, Rosie! I want Daddy and Papa!"

"We can't go home yet, little squirrel. I'm sorry, but it's just not safe," she explained as she cradled him close, gently rubbing his back and planting little kisses on top of his head.

"I want Daddy and Papa!" he cried a little louder. "He…he said that…they don't love me anymore!"

"It was just a bad dream, Eric," she soothed him. "Why would you believe anything that man tells you? He's a liar."

"But they…they _left_ me!" he cried, sobbing as if his little heart were breaking.

"Just a nightmare," she continued to placate him, rocking him gently. "Your parents love you very much, and I _know_ they miss you just as badly, but we have to stay hidden until they come get us. It isn't safe right now."

"What if…they d-don't _ever_ come?" he asked, sniffling helplessly.

"That won't happen," she said firmly before beginning to hum, timing the soothing melody with her rocking. Eric cried for a while longer, but the motions and the soothing vibrations of the lullaby eventually began to calm him. By the time Artemis laid him back with his adopted siblings, he had finally fallen back asleep.

XxX

Charles had first allowed Pele to use Cerebro on her twelfth birthday, and at that, only after much poking and prodding from her.

"It's not like anything you've ever experienced before," he'd warned her. "I know you think you've seen everything, but this is completely different. It will be a little bit like when your power first manifested. Do you think you're ready for that?"

She'd been like any other kid…foolishly confident she could handle anything. After all, she _had_ seen everything…hadn't she?

As it turned out, she had not. She _really_ had not.

The phrase 'taking a drink from a fire hydrant' didn't even _begin_ to cover it. For a moment, she was lost. She was everything and everything was her…but Charles had held onto her, helping her to find her way to solid ground, and she'd been getting stronger ever since.

Normally, she enjoyed working in Cerebro, but if she were honest with herself, today was different. Even though Hank had repaired the console and cleaned it off, her imagination was still too vivid and she had no trouble picturing Charles' blood splattered across the silvery surface. Shivering slightly, she brushed the image away and reached for the helmet, plunking it down on her head.

"You gonna be all right in here?" Sean asked her. Save for Charles and Hank, the others were all upstairs pretending to be useful…even though they all knew the real power in this venture was in this room.

"I'll be fine," the young telepath reassured her friend. "I'm not going to go crazy over it like Charles did."

"If you say so," the redhead drawled, watching her warily out of the corner of his eye.

"I don't know how long I'll be at this, so you might want to clear out," she warned him.

"All right," he said slowly, moving backward along the catwalk. "Don't do anything stupid, yeah?"

_Yeah,_ she agreed just as the door was closing.

Once the connection was live, Pele just let herself sink into it for several moments…just feeling. She sank herself deep in the great, wide world around her, just breathing it all in, feeling every sensation.

Once she was secure in her position and she'd _mostly_ come down from her high, she did what Charles had done…sought out the three absent members of their family.

It comforted her to know that at least _they_ were safe. Caring for Eric and each other, Artemis and Alex's bond was growing even stronger. Eric was terribly homesick, but he was coping, and he was beginning to care for the wolf pack as a second family.

Beyond their safe haven, though, lay the rest of the world. Pele searched every base she knew of, tapped every contact of the hellions' she'd been familiar with, but she could find no trace of Shaw's whereabouts…no whisper of his plans. It was as if he and the others had simply vanished.

As had happened with her friend before her, she began to lose track of time as she searched. Through old contacts, she followed lines of thought to new bases that had been created since she'd been carried out of Auschwitz, still turning up empty. She searched…and searched and searched…until, quite suddenly, she came face to face with a very familiar mind.

_Hello, Pele,_ Emma's voice filled her head.

_Hello,_ the younger telepath replied stiffly, knowing better than to try and read her mentor when she didn't want to be read, even with the power of Cerebro behind her.

_So Xavier's got __**you**__ working that beast now. Impressive._

_Where are you hiding, Emma? What's Shaw done with Erik?_

_Well, Azazel and I are somewhere north of Boston. I was actually expecting to deal with Charles, but I suppose you'll do just as well._

_Emma…_Pele interrupted her before she could continue, fairly certain she knew where this was heading. _Why…why did you lie to Shaw six years ago? Why did you save me? You taught me…it was better to let the weak die. Why did you have my life spared?_ She asked. Of the many things that had happened in her life, this was the one thing she'd never been able to reconcile for herself.

_It…would have been a waste to have you die that night…and Sebastian would have let you. You were never weak, Pele. Even __**I**__ can barely stand up to Onslaught. Like Erik with Sebastian, you're…something like my star pupil. If you __**must**__ die…I would almost prefer it to be at my own hands._

Pele sighed inwardly, admitting to herself that she'd, perhaps, been hoping for something different…but this was the closest Emma could come to it. She would have to be satisfied.

_So…I take it I'm meant to serve as a vessel?_

_Just so. Let's see how much you can take._

With that, the young telepath was inundated with memories that were neither hers nor Emma's. She became Erik…stripped and strapped down…burning in pain and delusion…powerless…used…defiled…_shamed_…

Together with this, she became Shaw…determined to root out weakness…awaken power…but with a certain taste of sadistic joy for the pain that was caused…taunting…mocking…and a very specific challenge.

_Try and stop me, Charles._

Overwhelmed, Pele had no choice but to pull back, crying out as she broke the connection. As she shoved the helmet off her head, she stumbled back from the console, finally tripping over her own feet and falling to the catwalk. Vaguely, she heard the door open.

"Are you all right?" she heard Hank's voice asking as a pair of strong arms gathered her up.

"How…long?" she managed to make herself ask, her throat hoarse from lack of fluids.

"Not quite forty-eight hours," Hank answered. "Did you find anything?"

"I…I saw…oh, _God_," she whispered, bringing her hands up to cover her eyes. How was she ever going to tell Charles? How would he react? Certainly, she could _try_ to keep it from him, to spare him the pain of it, but fewer things in life were stupider than attempting to lie to a telepath…especially one who was on the absolute edge of his control.

What were they going to _do?_

XxX

(A/N) Translations: Es tut mir leid = I'm sorry. Kleine Regentropfen = little raindrop.


	8. Song of the Hunter

(A/N) Thank you all of you who are still reading. You rock!

**A Song of Steel and Fire**

_Chapter 8: Song of the Hunter_

Alex had never thought of himself as being good with kids. All the times he was left behind to watch Eric and the pups while the pack hunted, however, seemed to be improving his skills. He was not officially on pup duty today, though. If he'd understood Artemis correctly, Winter was not up to joining the hunt; by wolf standards, it wouldn't be long before she couldn't hunt anymore, and that was death to a wolf. With Artemis back among them, that wasn't as big a worry as it normally would be, so the old grandmother wolf could take her ease on days when her joints felt stiff. Today, she was watching the pups. Alex had decided to go out looking for wild fruit and Eric had asked to come with him, as he now apparently knew more about the subject than Alex did, thanks to Artemis' tutoring.

"What do you think they're gonna bring back today?" Eric asked as he climbed up a tree to gather some berries. "I hope it's bear. I really like bear."

"I think that was a one-time thing, little man," Alex said, briefly wondering what Charles would think if he heard his four-year-old son talking so casually about such a subject. "They don't usually hunt bear. They just happened to come across one and it attacked. It'll probably be deer."

"Well, that's good, too," Eric said, trying not to sound too disappointed as he dropped several handfuls of blackberries down to Alex, who caught them in the bag Artemis had made from what was left of the bearskin. Before he could toss down too many, Alex held up a hand.

"That's enough, kiddo. We need to be heading back soon."

As Eric was in the process of scrambling down the tree, a piercing howl split the afternoon air. The two boys glanced at each other, both looking excited.

"They gotta be close," Eric said as he jumped to the ground.

"Wanna go see?" Alex asked. Eric nodded eagerly; the young man took him by the hand and the two of them took off through the trees.

Neither of them had any skill for tracking like Artemis, but the howl had sounded very close, and was soon joined by several answering howls. The two followed the sounds through the forest until they came to a break in the tree line, leading out into a meadow.

The pack was pursuing three deer across the open field: two does and a buck. At the rate they were going, it looked like the chase could go for many hours yet…until Artemis appeared from the trees on the other side of the meadow. Throwing her head back, she gave the long, proud note of the hunter's call before bursting forth from the tree line, making for the spot her wolf family was driving their quarry toward.

When Artemis was barely a few feet from the fleeing deer, Alex saw her hands go up, fists tightening in the gesture she used to bring her power to bear. At once, all three animals began to stagger, coughing up blood as they crashed at her feet.

"Whoa," Eric breathed in amazement as the wolves leapt on the kill.

As she dropped to her knees, Artemis howled a note of pleasure and victory. Alex knew he had no real hope of understanding the wolf language as she did, but he almost swore he could hear it in her voice.

_We will eat well tonight._

Shadow took the buck for himself, tearing into the dead animal's throat. Only Firestorm and Artemis were permitted to join him at the carcass. The other wolves fed from the two does. As he watched their protectors tear into their meal, blood and gore easily visible, Alex suddenly found himself wondering if Eric _should_ be watching this…but when he glanced over at the little boy, he saw only fascination in his grey eyes.

Invariably, Alex found his gaze drawn back to Artemis, who was using her power as well as her teeth and fingers to rip meat from the freshly killed buck. As he watched her feed, a tremor of both fear and excitement ran down his spine. In moments like this, with blood on her face and a growl in her throat, he couldn't help but be reminded that Artemis had been raised as a wolf for a good chunk of her life. There was some part of her that would always be wild…some part of her heart that would always answer to the law of the wood, that no human or mutant society would ever be able to touch…perhaps some part of her that even _he_ could never grasp.

He loved her…he could admit that easily enough…but could he hold onto her?

XxX

Charles drifted in and out of consciousness the next few days following his conversation with Pele, kept in limbo by a combination of exhaustion, malnourishment, and a potent mix of drugs from Hank, his mind kept in check through Pele's power. In that time, his conscience wallowed in a sea of guilt…both for what he had allowed to happen to Erik, their son, and what he had almost allowed to happen with Onslaught. He felt guilty for the harm his dark self could cause others, but at the same time…he was being forced into the revelation that maybe he _did_ want that power: not necessarily the latent telekinesis or the heightened telepathic senses, but the power to just cast aside his morals…to let go of his sense of right and wrong and simply strike back at the people who were hurting him and his family. If he were truly the shining beacon of virtue some of the others thought him to be, he wouldn't be having these problems…would he?

It was on the third day since he'd last seen Pele that his wits started to return to him and he began to feel the unrest in the house. He got the sense from the others that Pele had discovered something while locked inside Cerebro, but when he tried to approach her mind directly, she shielded even her surface thoughts from him, keeping him completely out. Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore and he spoke to her directly.

_Pele?_

_Yes, Charles?_

_What did you see? What did you find?_

_I didn't find Erik._

_But you found something __**else**__, _he continued to prod.

_Yes, but…Charles, I-_

_Don't keep this from me, Pele. Don't make me __**force**__ it out of you._

_This…this won't make anything better, Charles. It won't help anything._

_I don't care. Please…I want to see,_ he begged, already having a pretty good idea of what was in store. _I have to see him._

For a long while, Pele was silent, but Charles felt her coming toward him. Then the door to the med ward opened and there she stood, looking the very picture of grim.

"I did warn you," she said as she slowly approached him. Her demeanor was calm, but he could feel the tension roiling just beneath the surface.

"I know," he said, his gaze deceptively calm as she rested her fingertips against the bandage wrapped around his temple.

_Emma came to me when I was in Cerebro…to show me what they've been doing._

_I thought as much._

_I'm sorry._

With that, his mind was awash in foreign memories. Erik…burning with the fire of a hundred different drugs in his blood…surrounded by metal, but unable to touch it.

"_Do you know…what the Nazis did to homosexuals?"_

"_Bitte…bitte…nicht…dies nicht tun. Nur Mich töten."_

Then pain…white hot…and shame…shame to the very core. The pain was secondary to the humiliation. The only thought in his head was, _Charles will see this. Charles will see this! __**Charles will see this!**_

_**I'm sorry…I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you.**_

Then he was pitched headlong into a series of fever dreams…the darkest parts of his lover's heart laid bare.

_Magneto._

These were intermingled with _Shaw's_ memories…the fierce joy of putting Erik's strength of will to the test…the pleasure of _knowing_ he was hurting him, even though he didn't scream as he had when he was a child.

_He is __**mine**__ to do with as I will._

Then, a very specific moment…he was looking down on Erik through Shaw's eyes. Emma was at his head, guiding his nightmares as he tossed and turned in his drugged sleep…but that was hardly the worst of it. Shaw's hand was wrapped around his cock, mercilessly jerking him off.

"_Nngh…ah…__**Charles!**__"_ Erik cried out as he came, still trapped in whatever illusion Emma had created.

_Try and stop me, Charles._

When Pele finally withdrew, Charles swiftly reached a hand up to hold hers in place. His entire body trembled with barely suppressed rage.

_Iolana…restrain me,_ he ordered in his last few moments of coherency, not even trusting himself to speak.

Asking no questions, Pele placed both hands against his bandaged temples, bringing her power to bear on the shield within the older telepath's mind.

Uncertain if it was against his will or not, Charles felt himself fight back against her. He felt the rage that was contained just beneath the shield flare to life, struggling to break free.

_You're angry. Why fight it?_ Onslaught's seductive voice whispered to him, caressing the frayed edges of his conscience with his own through the weakening shield. _He hurt Erik. He should __**die!**_

_Die…_Charles hissed.

_I can help you do that. I can __**guarantee**__ his death._

_Yes…yes…kill him now…just **end** it…_

_Set me free, Charles._

_No,_ Pele interrupted, placing herself firmly between them. _Even if __**he**__ lets you go, __**I**__ won't. I will never._

_You won't interfere this time,_ Onslaught snarled at her. For a moment, the barrier was no more substantial than a layer of tissue paper and the spectre reached toward her, digging psionic claws into her psyche.

The pain was horrible…hideous, screaming pain that filled her head…but when she held out against that, he pushed into her memory…discovering just what kind of pain to inflict on her…the pain between her legs…the violent, penetrating horror she could never truly overcome…and even _this_ she held out against. She was screaming in agony, but still she held herself as a shield between the two powerful beings, keeping them as separate entities, though it could cost her her life.

As Charles watched her twist, he struggled with two very real options. With Onslaught, he could rescue Erik and destroy Shaw…

…_**but he's **_killing _**her.**_

"_Stop this now!_" he screamed as Pele gave one last cry, her head snapping back and her eyes going wide as something inside of her broke.

Rather than destroy the barrier, the shattering had the opposite effect. The barrier solidified between them once more and Charles found himself lying in the med ward again. Twisting around and ripping out one of the I.V. needles, he saw Pele collapsed on the floor, her wide red eye staring unseeingly at the ceiling.

"Oh, God!" he cried out in horror, moving from the cot in one fluid motion, mindless of the needles tearing from his body. Crouching down on the floor, he gathered her in his arms, hesitantly laying an ear against her chest, terrified of what he might hear.

Thankfully, he still heard the beat of blood through her heart, but what had he done to her? What if he'd…destroyed her mind? God, it was just like Cain…just like six years ago.

"Oh…oh…Pele, I'm so sorry," he whispered, resting his forehead against hers, desperately seeking her mind…but finding only silence. It was as if her conscience had simply vanished; her brain still functioned, of course, but everything that made her _her_ was gone.

_Oh, God…oh, my God, what have I done? Iolana, where are you? Where did you go? What have I done? Please! Answer me!_

As he searched desperately for a soul that wasn't there, he vaguely heard the door to the ward open, admitting several pairs of footsteps.

"Charles, what…what _happened?_" he heard Hank asking.

"I can't hear her. She…she's _gone_," he murmured, not looking up from the girl's still body.

"You…you don't mean-" he heard Mystique start to ask, her voice filled with horror.

"What did you _do?_" Haley asked as Hank moved in to separate the two of them. Charles tried to reach out to grab her, but he was sill too much in shock, and Haley was easily able to restrain him while Hank moved Pele to another cot, doing a cursory check of her vitals.

"She's alive," he reported tensely.

"_She's_ not there. She's _gone_," he struggled to explain.

"Get him hooked back up," Hank ordered Alistair and Haley as he continued his check up. "Restrain him, too. He's going into shock."

"No…no…" he protested, struggling against Haley, who held him down while Mystique and Sean tied him to the cot. "I can't…I have to find her."

"What the Hell's he on about?" Sean asked as Alistair hooked the various needles back up to the telepath.

"No idea," Hank said, keeping his attention focused on Pele.

_Charles, calm down._

"Iolana?" he asked aloud, glancing over at the unconscious girl. She hadn't moved.

_I'm all right. You don't need to panic._

"Where…where are you? Why can't I sense you?"

_It's because you're looking in the wrong place,_ she chastised him. _Look in._

Doing as she asked, Charles looked inward, toward the wall separating him from Onslaught…and found that it was so much more than just a wall. It was solid…complete…a whole other personality. It was _her_.

"You're…in _my_ mind?" he whispered in amazement.

_Something like that, yes. Sorry to worry you. It took me a few minutes to figure out how to turn my thoughts back out._

"Fuck, he's totally lost it!" Sean declared, taking several steps back from the restrained telepath.

"Of course he hasn't," Destiny started as she waddled into the ward.

"What are you doing down here? You ought to be in bed," Mystique protested.

"Well, if I do so happen to pop, which I won't, by the way, no better place to do it than the med ward. I figured you all would be in need of an explanation right about now."

_Is…is this even __**possible?**_Charles wondered, switching to telepathic conversation.

_The fact that I'm here at all seems to suggest an answer._

_What happened?_

_Onslaught's like any other creature. When he thought he'd broken me, he experienced a moment of triumph. When he let his guard down, I forced all the power I could into the barrier and I pushed him back._

_You…are you trapped?_

_No,_ she reassured him. _I had an opportunity to pull back before I put my whole consciousness into this. I made a decision. I know we all __**want**__ to believe we can trust you to keep control of yourself right now. I __**know**__ you're strong enough to resist him. The trouble right now is that you don't really want to…even though you understand the risks. _

Sighing inwardly, Charles nodded. _You're right. I __**can't**__ be trusted. I want Shaw's blood too badly…especially after __**that.**_

_I know…and I understand, but Shaw will use that to his advantage. He'll force a confrontation and draw Onslaught to the surface. We'd **lose** you…and we'd gain absolutely nothing by destroying Shaw and rescuing Erik if we lost you doing it. If you destroy Shaw this way, all you'll accomplish is to create an even more horrifying enemy. That's why I decided…that until the others are all back home safe with us…I'm going to stay right here…and maintain this barrier._

_You shouldn't have to do this…not for me. I've put you through enough…_

_Except that there's no one else who __**can**__ do it, is there?_ She pointed out, almost smugly. _It's like you said before: I'm your safety net. Let me be that. He's very strong right now. He thrives on your pain…your rage and your sorrow. This barrier's going to need pretty much constant attention. Really, there's no other way of doing this. I __**won't**__ let Shaw have his way this time…__**not this time,**_she declared resolutely.

XxX

With the drugs burning in his system, the world around Erik continued to get hazier. He had no idea what was real and what was nightmare anymore…no idea if the feeling of Charles kissing him…_touching_ him…was real or simply an escapist dream conjured up by his addled brain. Either way, he allowed himself to sink in it for a brief moment…allowed himself to feel the sweetness of his lover's touch…the soft warmth of his lips…and the heat of his hand as he stroked him to completion. It was this that he clung to as the fever dreams grew progressively worse…slowly starting to unhinge him.

Erik Lehnsherr…lover of Charles Xavier, father of Eric Xavier, and co-founder of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters…

…or Magneto, scourge of humanity and savior of mutantkind?

It seemed to him that he'd torn himself up a thousand times over this question by the time he regained consciousness back in Shaw's torture chamber. His body felt weak and shaky, but it wasn't on fire anymore. Briefly, he tried for it, but found he still couldn't touch any of the metal.

_Verdammt._

As his awareness slowly began to widen beyond his failed mutant sense, the first thing he noticed was the half-dried stickiness between his legs.

"Yes, that was me, incase you were wondering," Shaw's voice intruded on his small moment of horror. "You seemed to enjoy it almost as much as Charles did."

Erik just turned away from the direction Shaw's voice was coming from, saying nothing. There was nothing he _could_ say. If he hadn't been ashamed of what had happened before, this was even _worse_. Pieces of his fever dreaming were now starting to make a kind of sense. Those sweet moments with Charles…that had probably been Emma or Blindfold in his head fucking with him…literally.

"Well, if you're going to be like that, enough on pleasure, I suppose. Back to business," Shaw said, coming around the table to look him in the eye. "Have a nice nap, my boy?"

Growling low in his throat, Erik gave him a pained smile. "Yes. Any particular reason why you saw fit to wake me up? I was having some _very_ good dreams."

"I just thought you might like to see what sort of dreams Charles is having. After all, we showed him yours."

Again, Erik looked away, closing his eyes. Worry for the telepath pushed aside the shame. Was Charles okay? Had he been able to bear seeing what had happened…without unleashing Onslaught?

The next thing he became aware of was a hand on his forehead…_Frost,_ his brain supplied as images began to take shape in his mind…memories from Pele…

"_If you think throwing away your sanity to use this power is going to make Erik happy, you're __**wrong!**__"_

_**Charles belongs to **_me_**, Pele. Even your strongest barrier can't keep us apart forever…not when he **_needs_** me…when he **_wants_** me.**_

The door to Cerebro opened and he stared down the catwalk through Pele's eyes as Charles turned to face them…blood dribbling down the sides of his face from where the machine's cables were wired directly into his _head_.

It was a horrifying image, yes, but the most horrific thing of all was the look in his eyes. The look of the lost…of helplessness…compounded by the beginnings of the cold blue fire.

_Onslaught._

"_Nein!_" Erik shouted, jerking away from Emma's touch, breathing hard.

"He was trying to get more power from the machine," Emma explained. "I imagine there's more and worse to be seen, but that was all I could get from Pele, as _she_ was the one hooked up to Cerebro at the time."

"Is…is he all right?" he couldn't manage to keep himself from asking, even though he _knew_ they were not so merciful as to answer.

"What do _you_ think?" Emma sniped coldly.

"None of us are any real match for him, you know," Shaw said, sounding extremely self-satisfied. "If he could only be what he is…as nature intended…we could easily create a paradise free of humans."

Erik laughed bitterly at this. "You're assuming he wouldn't turn on the rest of us once he was done killing the humans."

"That's where you're wrong, Erik. Mutantkind would worship him as a savior. He would rule over this Eden. God, it'll be beautiful. I wish I could see it," he said, an odd half-smile on his face.

"What are you talking about?"

"I have no illusions about how long my life would last under Onslaught's reign. He'll kill me eventually…but it will all be worth it in the end. You'll see. I _know_ it's what you want."

"Not like that," Erik said, turning his gaze back up to the ceiling.

"Oh, don't be like that, mein Liebkind. You'll get used to it. After all…the messiah will need a consort, won't he."

"Don't."

"I don't need to, Erik. You already know the truth. He _will_ be my successor…and in order to hold onto him, you _will_ have to become what I raised you to be."

"Something _Blindfold_ told you?" Erik asked sourly, still not looking at him.

"She didn't have to. I knew it the moment I saw that fire wake in his eyes six years ago. I knew what he could become…what he _will_ be."

"It won't happen," Erik said, staring resolutely at the ceiling. "I won't _let_ it."

"Well, good luck with that. Oh, by the way," Shaw began as he was turning to leave. "I'm taking the liberty of having your son brought here."

This finally drew Erik's gaze from the ceiling. He had hoped, that maybe…with so much attention focused on him and Charles, that…but no, of course not. Shaw would never forget.

"Shaw, if you hurt him, I _swear_-"

"Relax, Erik, I'm not going to hurt him…well…not _physically_, anyway. After all, I've found there are things so much more effective than the threat of physical harm," he said before he and Emma strode out of the cell, leaving Erik alone once again.

In a fit of frustrated rage, Erik banged his head against the useless metal surface he was bound to, almost relishing the pain, as it was the only sort of feeling he could get from the cold metal.

_Charles…__**please.**__ You have to find us soon. He's going to hurt our baby boy. You have to stop him. Please, Charles, __**please.**__ I'm not…strong enough. You have to save him. You __**have**__ to._

XxX

When Shaw ordered Azazel to go to Blindfold, he searched for a long while before finding her alone in her own quarters, which surprised him. If she was to be found anywhere, it was usually in the main living area or in Shaw's quarters. Sometimes, it almost seemed like she didn't have a room of her own…and Azazel didn't really have an explanation as to _why_, but he felt almost…jealous.

"You needed to speak with me?" he asked, interrupting her seeming meditation. The young precog shook herself off and climbed from her bed.

"Yes. It's time to go and fetch the little Xavier boy."

"You have a location for me then?"

"I do," she said, moving in close to him and standing on tiptoe to press her forehead against his, transferring the exact spot directly into his mind. After the transfer was made, however, they remained like that a while longer, neither quite wanting to move.

"Why do…you lie with him?" Azazel found himself asking, keeping his eyes shut. "I see…that he does nothing for you."

"There isn't a whole lot that actually does anything for me," she answered, reaching a hand up to ghost faintly through his hair. "I was _born_ with the power of precognition. I've never known anything _but_ this. There isn't much that could be called _me_. I can barely remember my parents…just the dream of a happy wedding…and the nightmare of horrible deaths. You don't need to feel bad about it," she said when she felt him tense against her. "I experienced it as a sensation no different from watching a film. There's so much in my head…so many memories of different lives…different causalities…that my true self's been lost somewhere in all of it. But there is…one thing…in all that…that belongs just to me."

"And that is?" the teleporter pressed, his breath catching slightly in his throat.

"It's a dream of you."

"Mne?"

"Yes. You are Azazel…the one who will take my life from me."

For a moment, he couldn't quite believe it…but Blindfold never joked. It was in moments like this that he wished she had eyes to read. All he could see right now was the strange smile on her lips.

"I will…take your life?"

"Yes."

"But…why?"

"That isn't really for me to say. Believe me or not, as you choose…but that is the one thing in all of my visions that means anything to _me_…just to me. Take it for what you will."

"I cannot…think why I would," he said, slowly reaching a hand out to touch her cheek. He didn't fail to notice the way she leaned into the touch.

"You'll see."

"And why would you tell this to _me_ of all people?"

"Because I'm empty," she said, reaching up a hand to hold his against her cheek, "and you will fill me."

XxX

After the rest of the pack had gone to sleep for the night and Eric was safely tucked in with the other pups, Artemis and Alex found themselves lying awake a little ways off from the rest of the group, gazing up at the stars.

"How do you think it's going?" Alex asked absently as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"Well, I hope. I suppose…if something had gone wrong, the Hellfire Club would have come for Eric by now."

"Guess you're right."

"Why? Anxious to get back?" she teased lightly, kissing his cheek.

"Not so much. Actually, I kinda like it…being out here with you," he said. Artemis gave him a smile as the kiss to his cheek became several kisses along his jaw.

"You know what _I_ like?" she asked, trailing the kisses down onto his neck. Alex grinned down at her in both want and a bit of amazement.

"Here? Right here? Really?" he asked, tracing a hand along her shoulder.

"Certainly can't think of any place better," she said, her kisses snaking down onto his chest. He'd given up on a shirt the past few days.

"I…I don't have anything," he warned her, looking hesitant for a moment.

"That's okay. Let's live dangerously for once…go all natural," she murmured, grinding her hips lightly against his as she rolled on top of him.

"If you're sure…" he said slowly, putting up little resistance at this point. Her only response was to press her lips to his.

It didn't take much for them to get each other stripped. Two weeks is a long time for an active young couple, after all. Alex still had issues with the dirt, but Artemis reveled in it, so she eventually allowed him to end up on top. She had never felt just _him_ inside her without some form of protection between them, and she relished it with every move.

Even though she felt slightly guilty for it, pleasure was not her only motive. Living with the cycles of nature as she had, Artemis was much more in tune with the cycles of her body than most other women. If it was going to happen, now was the time. So she surrendered to the longing of her body…the longing to be filled.

Even Alex seemed to sense there was something different about tonight. Typically, they both liked it rough, but tonight they were slower and more gentle than normal…and as they both finished with quiet, blissful gasps, they gazed into each other's eyes for several long moments before Alex leaned down to press a lingering kiss to Artemis' lips.

It was a wonderful night. If either of them had even guessed it was all about to come to an end, perhaps they might have enjoyed it that little bit more.

XxX

(A/N) Once more unto the breach, dear readers!


	9. Songs of Innocence

(A/N) Yay! Got reviews for the last chapter! I wuv you all so much.

**A Song of Steel and Fire**

_Chapter 9: Songs of Innocence_

Artemis was almost asleep when the scent of sulfur assaulted her nose and a sound she'd been hoping not to hear entered her ears.

_Bamf._

Instantly, the wolf girl was on her feet, wide-awake, mindless of the fact that she was stark naked.

"My," Azazel murmured as he eyed her up and down. "Am I…interrupting?"

"What do you want here?" she asked, even though she already knew. It bought Alex time to find his pants and the other wolves time to circle up around them.

"Where is the boy?"

Artemis willed her gaze not to shift to the den, keeping it fixed on the teleporter as Alex rose up beside her. Already, she could feel the energy gathering in his body.

"You should leave," she warned him, a growl sounding low in her throat. "There's nothing for you here."

As the teleporter calmly stared them down, the wolves moved in a constantly shifting circle around them, snarling and baring their teeth. Artemis tried to warn them not to attack too soon without taking her eyes away from Azazel, but Rainfall moved too soon, mistrusting the smell of this creature. Within the space of a moment, a sword was in the Russian's hand and the young wolf's head was lying on the ground two feet from her body.

Soft Paws gave an enraged snarl and leapt at Azazel from behind. He quickly vanished and reappeared behind him, neatly severing his spine.

The three who remained tried to take the teleporter, but he easily flitted among them, his blades moving in a deadly dance. First, he took out Look Far, then Whisper. He came in for Shadow, but that was when Alex managed to fire a shot at him. Azazel dodged and several of the trees caught fire. In the moments before he next appeared, Artemis whined pleadingly, shaking herself all over.

_Shadow, run. Take Firestorm and the pups and run. You can't handle this. Let __**us**__ fight him._

Shadow's snap and snarl in her direction were just as final as a 'No.' That was when Azazel came at him from the front, plunging his blade straight through the black wolf's throat.

"_Shadow!_" Artemis screamed, running to him and falling to her knees as his blood spilled across the dirt. It was over quickly; the alpha gave a single gurgling whine and died in his human sister's arms.

For a moment, she just knelt there in shock, whining quietly in disbelieving grief. Then her eyes slowly lifted to Azazel, who shrugged indifferently.

"They are just animals."

It was the worst possible thing he could have said. Throwing her head to the sky, Artemis gave a cry of such primal rage and pain, it raised the hairs on the backs of both men's necks. Springing to her feet, she brought her power to bear on the teleporter, zeroing in on his heart. Azazel countered immediately, attempting to teleport away from her.

For several minutes, they were stuck. Azazel wasn't quite able to escape because Artemis had a hold of him, and she wasn't quite able to crush him because he was in something like a state of flux, flickering in and out of being in the exact same spot.

Ultimately, it was Azazel who won their battle. He was older and had more control of his mutation, and was able to slip through Artemis' grip. The wolf girl collapsed in exhaustion and Azazel teleported to the mouth of the den.

"Rose!" Alex shouted, beginning to drop to his knees beside her.

"I'm fine," she protested, her voice barely a whisper. "I'm fine…Eric…you have to…stop him…_help Eric_…"

Nodding, Alex moved toward the den just in time to see Azazel make short work of Firestorm. He could hear the pups howling and Eric crying from inside the den.

"Leave them alone!" he shouted as he ran, not daring to fire for fear of harming them.

Azazel paid him no mind, focusing instead on his target. The pups had a slight advantage over him in this small space. He was not made to fit inside a wolf den. When the larger of the two managed to get in a nasty bite on his hand, he maneuvered his sword and drove it through the pup's chest.

"_Wind Song!_" Eric screamed in horror, tears gushing down his face as his brother fell.

Azazel couldn't maneuver the blade properly to get at the other pup. All he could manage was a swipe at her side. Finally, he gave up on the weapon and simply punched her viciously to the side. The little thing hit her head hard against the earthen wall and lay still.

"_Rosie! Alex!_" he screamed in terror as Azazel reached for him.

"Sh, sh, sh," the teleporter shushed him. "You do not want anything to happen to your friends, do you?"

"W-what?" Eric sobbed, not quite understanding.

"Come with me now, little one…or I will do to them what I did to these dogs."

"No…d-don't…don't hurt them," he pleaded, slowly beginning to crawl out of the recesses of the den and into Azazel's reach.

"Good," Azazel said as he gathered Eric into his arms. "Do you not want to see your papa again?"

"P-Papa?" Eric mumbled, a faint sliver of hope shining in his eyes.

"Yes. I promise I will take you to him."

"And you won't…hurt Alex or Rosie?" Eric asked, his lower lip trembling.

"No. They will be safe."

"Eric, _no!_" Alex shouted, attempting to get inside the den…but Firestorm beat him to it. The alpha female hadn't quite given up the ghost and, using the last of her strength, she sank her teeth into his leg, wrenching with her powerful jaws. Alex could almost swear he heard something snap as Azazel cried out in pain.

The teleporter easily shoved the dying wolf away, turning to glare at Alex one final time before vanishing. The last thing he saw was Eric's terrified face.

Giving a shout of anger and frustration, Alex turned skyward and fired off a blast into the air, shooting harmlessly toward the heavens. The next thing he noticed was Firestorm whining. Glancing down at her, he saw her trying to crawl back into the den, but she didn't get very far before finally lying down and breathing her last. She'd been…trying to go back. Maybe…there was still a chance?

Gently pulling Firestorm's body to the side, Alex maneuvered his way inside the small space, searching for the pups.

Wind Song was undeniably dead…but when he moved to the black pup and listened for a heartbeat, he found just that. Being gentle, he pulled her from the den and carried her to Artemis.

"E-Eric?" she asked, still hazy.

Alex shook his head, leaning down so she could see the pup properly. "He got away. He took him. She's still alive, though."

"We can't leave her here. Wounded like that…she'll die," Artemis insisted, struggling to sit up. Once she'd managed this, she crawled back over to Shadow.

"Brother…I'm _so_ sorry. _I_ brought this on you. Forgive me," she whispered, briefly pressing Shadow's head against her stomach, then leaning down to kiss his forehead. The next thing she did, Alex turned away from. With her power, she began to strip the fur from the flesh, just as she'd done with Swift Wind. He understood, but he also didn't want to see the bloody sight. He wanted to remember the great wolf as he had been.

Once she'd finished the grizzly task and folded the bloody pelt, she laid it on Alex's shoulders to serve as a pad before helping him to rest the little wolf on his shoulders. He stood first, but when she tried to stand, she couldn't quite manage it, so he helped her, letting her lean against his side as they began to walk, supporting part of her weight. The fire from Alex's earlier attacks was already spreading.

"The river isn't far," Artemis said quietly. "If we can get across, we'll be safe."

Looking back on it years later, Alex would always wonder where he had found the strength to support Artemis and carry the little wolf, bringing them all to safety. Even after that, they'd had to get back to the motorbike. Artemis had been nearly unconscious by that point, but she'd still had enough sense in her to point him in the right direction. It would take nearly two hours to get back to Westchester, and that was their driving force…the task they set themselves on in order to avoid thinking of the horror they'd just experienced.

They had to get back. They had to tell the others what had happened.

XxX

Erik knew it hadn't been long since they'd left him, a few hours maybe, when Azazel suddenly popped into the room. The metal-kine was pleased to note the bandages on the other mutant's right hand and leg…and the fact that he was on a crutch.

"They must've given you a time of it," he said proudly.

"Oh, they did," Azazel said as he began to undo Erik's restraints, "but it made little difference in the end."

The moment his arms were free, he took a swing at the teleporter. It didn't have much force behind it, granted, but resistance is still resistance. Azazel teleported away, of course, down to the end of the table to free his feet, chuckling quietly.

"Heh, why do you think they sent _me_ to unbind you?"

Once he was free, it was a struggle for him just to sit up. He _certainly_ didn't trust his legs to support him.

"Well, Erik, how're we feeling now we've had a chance to cool down a little?" Shaw asked as he entered the cell.

"Murderous," he answered casually.

"Now, now, Erik, let's not behave this way in front of the boy," he said, stepping aside to allow Emma and Blindfold into the cell, pushing Eric in front of them.

"Papa!" Eric shouted upon catching sight of him, breaking away from the two women and running to him.

"Eric…" he said softly as his son climbed up onto the table and into his lap, despite him being naked and covered in blood. Erik wrapped his arms around him, holding him close. The little boy snuggled up close to him, trying to be careful of his injuries.

"Papa, what _happened?_"

"It's nothing, Liebkind. I'll be fine. What about you? They haven't hurt you, have they?"

Eric shook his head, wiping fruitlessly at his tear-streaked face.

"And _him?_" Erik asked, glaring at Shaw. "He didn't…"

"Mm-mm," he answered, shivering a little. "Papa, it was horrible. He killed all the wolves."

"Killed…? What about Alex and Rosie? Are _they_ all right?"

Eric nodded. "He promised he wouldn't hurt them."

That meant little coming from a Hellion and Erik knew it, but if he had last seen them alive, maybe there was hope.

"Papa…I missed you," the little boy cried, fresh tears beginning to spill down his face.

"I missed you, too," he said, smiling sadly as he kissed the top of his head.

"And I'd say that's enough of that," Shaw said, starting to take Eric from him. "There'll be plenty of time for catching up later."

"Please…_please_," Eric begged, trying to hold onto his father. Briefly, Erik tried to hold onto him, but soon realized they'd only hurt him if they fought over him, so he let go. Eric began to cry harder, struggling against Shaw. "Papa, _please!_ Don't let him take me. I wanna stay with you."

Erik's heart broke to hear his son cry, but there was nothing he could do that would not result in him getting hurt. At least this way, there was still a chance.

"Don't be scared, Liebling. Everything will be all right. Daddy's coming to find us, but you've got to be brave until he gets here. Can you do that for me?"

"I…I'll try," Eric sniffled right as Shaw slammed the cell door closed, leaving him alone with the two women.

"I suppose it's time we sent out a calling card, then," Blindfold said, coming to stand to one side of the table while Emma moved to the far wall of the cell. "Do you know how mirror technology works?" she asked him.

"I've…got an idea," he said, even though it was just that…an idea.

"Mirrors are a reflection of the self…and they can deflect telepathic power. The Russians discovered this when they performed medical experiments on Azazel's mother."

Erik took vague note of this for future reference, but mostly kept his attention focused on the here and now. "Why are you telling me this?"

"This entire complex was built with mirror-lined walls. They're encased in the steel," the precog went on. "The place is completely telepath-proof. Charles never had any chance of finding you."

"The point?" Erik ground out.

"The point…is that I want you to understand just what I'm doing when I ask Emma to smash her fist through that wall," she replied, nodding at Emma, who was already shifting to diamond form. "Charles isn't using Cerebro right now. It…goes to his head, as it were. This is the only way he'll hear you. Let's see just how strong your bond is."

"Does Shaw know you're doing this?" he asked, keeping his face carefully blank.

"I'll leave that conclusion to you, shall I. In the meantime, Emma…?"

It wasn't so much that Emma punched through the wall as she sliced through it, creating a small gash with her deceptively delicate fingers. Shards of broken glass fell to the floor following this and the two women left…leaving Erik alone to wait breathlessly.

XxX

As strange as it might sound, it wasn't at all odd for Charles to have Pele in his head full time. She kept herself so busy maintaining her barrier, they hardly noticed each other. That ease, unfortunately, was lost the moment Artemis and Alex showed up looking as if they'd bathed in blood. They didn't really need to say anything; Alex's small 'They took him' only served to make them all feel worse.

Hank and Alistair were currently in surgery with the baby wolf. They'd been hesitant at first; they were doctors, after all, not vets…but they just didn't have the option of taking her to a regular vet. Neither of them knew anything about wolf physiognomy, though, so they couldn't risk tranquilizing her. In lieu of this, Artemis was holding her while they labored, working to keep her calm, taking whatever scratches and bites the frightened, injured baby saw fit to dole out. Painful as the task was proving to be, it was also serving to keep Artemis herself calm. She had just seen her family slaughtered, after all…and none of them were quite sure how she'd ultimately end up reacting.

Charles was currently pacing in front of Cerebro, trying very hard not to fight Pele keeping him separate from Onslaught. All he could feel right now was a horrifying sense of despair and powerlessness. Shaw had _both_ of them…_both of them_. That monster had taken both his Eriks from him.

_What will I do? What will I do? __**What will I do?**_

_There must be __**something**__ we haven't thought of,_ he stewed, resisting the urge to just barge into the machine.

_You are __**not**__ going in there, Charles. I'll fight you, too, if I have to,_ Pele warned him. _It wouldn't help anything. Besides…I think whatever he's going to do, he __**wants**__ you to see it._

_That's what I'm afraid of._

_That means he'll let you know where to come._

_Exactly…and not in enough time to prevent it from happening._

_Charles?_

Both telepaths fell silent at this. The voice hadn't been either of them.

_E…Erik?_

_Charles…hear me? Can…hear…?_

"_Erik?_" Charles called aloud, stretching out with his telepathy. _Erik, I can hear you. Where are you?_

…_don't know. Charles…Shaw…Eric. Please…save him._

"I can hear him, but I don't know where he is. Please, let me go inside," Charles pleaded with Pele. If he was able to sense Erik's mind at whatever distance this was, it meant that Shaw's barrier had been broken and he could use Cerebro to find his location. This might be the only chance he got.

_Be careful,_ Pele said by way of capitulation. She also understood that this might be it.

Charles rushed into the machine, quickly linking up with it and sending his mind out.

_Talk to me, Erik. Stay with me. Where are you?_

As he pushed himself further into the connection, he felt Erik's presence grow stronger, as if he stood beside him once again. He followed the line of that connection, the warmth of it, across miles…until he finally had a name.

Alkali Lake.

_That…that's in Canada…the Canadian __**Rockies**__,_ he vaguely heard Pele saying. _It's on the other side of the God damn __**continent!**_

"We have to get there. We have to get there _right now!_"

_How did you even __**hear**__ him?_

"I don't know. I don't care."

_Erik? Don't worry, darling. We're coming for you. We'll be there soon. _

It wasn't so much words that he got from his lover through their link at this as it was a nearly crippling sense of relief.

_Please…hurry, mein Schatz._

Charles sent the impression of an embrace to him before severing the link with Cerebro, moving just as quickly out of the machine and down the hall toward the med ward. Upon bursting in, he found Hank and Alistair cleaning up and Alex and Artemis trying to soothe the baby wolf, who was whining pitifully, but who also seemed to be fully stitched up and bandaged. Neither of the two lovers had washed the blood from their skin and Artemis was still naked as the day she was born. Elsie, Sean, Mystique, and Haley were all gathered behind them, wanting to do something, but not really sure what that something should be.

"They're in Canada," Charles announced as they all turned to look at him. "A place called Alkali Lake. Shaw has a base underground. I was able to locate Erik with Cerebro."

"You were using Cerebro?" Hank asked suspiciously.

"I heard Erik's voice. I _had_ to use it to follow him. I had no choice. Neither do we. We have to get there right away. Anyone who isn't ready in fifteen minutes is left behind. I'm going."

At first, the ward was filled with sounds of protest, but in the end, Artemis' voice rose above them all.

"Azazel will be there…won't he," she said, her demeanor eerily calm, but her eyes burning with rage and pain.

"He will," Charles said. Were he not so afraid for the safety of his family, he might have been worried about the look in her eyes.

"Then I'll kill him," she snarled quietly. "I'll _kill him!_"

"No!" Elsie tried to argue. "You're in no condition to fight right now. You've just suffered a traumatic experience-"

"I'm _going_," Artemis interrupted, wrenching her head around to look her mother in the eye. "I am an _adult_, Mother. You do _not_ order me to go or stay."

As she stood, pinned beneath the fire of her daughter's gaze, Elsie Kinross truly saw the wolf in her child for the first time. She saw the spark of the untamable that was in her…and she couldn't help taking a small step back in fear. Slowly, she turned her pleading gaze to Charles.

"You're not going to allow this, are you?"

The look on Charles' face was grim as he surveyed the wolf girl. He didn't look to Elsie, but to Artemis, when he answered. "Artemis is correct. She is a woman grown by the standards of both her people. If she has business with Azazel, I will not interfere."

"My _God_," Elsie whispered.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Kinross, I'll take care of her," Alex reassured her, resting a hand on Artemis' knee, which she didn't even acknowledge. She simply stroked the wolf pup's black fur as she continued to look Charles in the eye.

"Thirteen minutes," he reminded them all before disappearing.

XxX

Eric couldn't guess how long he was in the tiny cell. At one point, the blonde woman brought him some food, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but he didn't feel much like eating, especially not anything of theirs; so he sat against the cell wall with his knees drawn up to his chest, sniffling, doing his best not to cry for who knew how long before the dark-haired woman came into the cell.

"How are you doing?" she asked as she sat down beside him.

"Go away," he mumbled angrily, not looking at her.

"Heh…fair enough."

"I want my papa. Why can't I see Papa?" he demanded, turning a little, but still not looking at her.

"You'll see him soon. Sebastian just had to set a few things up first."

"Why're you hurting Papa? What'd he do to _you?_" Eric asked, finally looking up at her.

"Nothing, Eric…absolutely nothing. He never did anything to anyone that _justified_ him being hurt like this…but the world is not just."

"Then…_why?_" Eric asked, several tears dribbling down his face.

"Because I have never really had any choice," she explained as she wiped the tears from his cheeks. "You see, Eric…I'm like your Aunt Destiny."

"You can…see what's going to happen?"

"Yes…and I know you can't really understand causality yet, but…there is a _reason_ for everything I do. I hurt your papa…and I've hurt your daddy and your big sister…and I know the things I've done have led to you being hurt…will lead to you being hurt more in the future…but I promise you that everything that _has_ happened…is much better than what _might_ have happened."

"You mean…it might have been worse?" Eric asked, his eyes widening.

"Much worse."

"And you're…trying to make it better?"

"Something like that. It's…a bit more complicated. We all have our own designs. I just wanted you to know that it's not for nothing…what's to happen."

"Is…is there anything _I_ can do?"

Blindfold half-laughed at this. "You're very brave, little one…and so very strong. The question now becomes…who will you use that strength for? Are you going to let Sebastian use it…or will it be for someone else?"

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see…and now, go ahead and ask. I know you want to."

"But…Daddy says it's rude."

"But you're curious, aren't you? I don't mind."

"Why…why are you wearing a blindfold?"

"Because I have no eyes," she answered bluntly, almost smiling. "Most people don't like to see that."

"Can…can I…?" he asked hesitantly.

"Of course," she said, untying the strip of cloth and revealing her eyeless face. Floored by this, Eric reached out to touch the bare stretches of flesh without thinking. Blindfold didn't mind it, though. This was the only part of her that no one ever touched. The rest of her was…occupied…as she liked to put it…only there for another person's use. Even her own mind wasn't really her own. It was a conduit for everything else that would ever occur on planet Earth. So she enjoyed little things like this…innocent touches…as if _she_ were something to be wondered at…not used, feared, or mistrusted.

The quiet moment was interrupted all too soon, though. Emma opened the cell door, a look that could almost be described as pity on her face.

"It's time."

XxX

After he had gotten through to Charles, Erik didn't have to wait long before Azazel returned to restrain him once again. Admittedly, he didn't make it easy for the teleporter, but there's really only so much one can do against an enemy who can punch and vanish, even while seriously injured.

This time, Erik was chained to the ceiling of the cell, dangling in the center of the room with his feet bound together with heavy chains to prevent too much movement. Once he was immobilized, Erik watched as Azazel opened up one of the cabinets in the wall, seeing for the first time that it was some sort of oven. Once the teleporter had the device going, several of Shaw's instruments went into it to heat. Then Azazel left him alone again, with a pretty good idea of what was going to happen as he watched the metal implements slowly turn red out of the corner of his eyes.

When Shaw finally returned, his three associates were all with him, and Blindfold was leading Eric.

"You know something, Erik," Shaw began as he crossed to the oven, taking a pair of gloves from another compartment and opening it, letting a wave of heat into the cell. "I think I made a mistake in killing your mother."

Erik glanced at him with a look of disgusted incomprehension. "No? Really?" he asked, the sarcasm in his voice bordering on hysterical.

"Yes…you see, I started to realize this when I saw the lengths you went to in order to rescue Charles six years ago. No matter how much I tortured him, I never actually killed him…and it drove you nearly _insane_ with power. The mistake I made with you…was to kill your mother right away. As such, she was already dead…and could no longer be _used_. I had almost nothing on you after that first day. I won't make the same mistake with your son," he explained, reaching for one of the red-hot knives.

"No," Erik nearly choked on the word as he began to understand. Where before, he had only imagined Shaw inflicting the same physical torture he had on him on Eric…he could now see what he truly meant to do. All of the pain he had endured under this mad man's hand, every last drop of it had been minor in comparison with the pain of losing his mother. Shaw was going to force Eric to watch him torture him…maybe even _kill_ him in the end. If there was anything he _didn't_ want for his son, it was for him to suffer that same agony…to become the man he had and to walk that very same path of vengeance after the same man. "No, you _can't_…don't make him watch this. It's too cruel."

"And so it is," Shaw said as he approached him. "But this is the only way."

"Eric, don't…don't look," he ordered desperately, trying hard to think of _some_ way to keep this from happening.

"No, Eric. You _will_ watch this," Shaw countered. "You saw what happened to the wolves. You don't want the same thing to happen to your papa, do you?"

Eric shook his head, his eyes already bright with tears. "I don't…want Papa to die."

"Good boy," Shaw said before turning his attention back to Erik. "You know, mein Liebkind, I'm almost amazed you made it through the _Holocaust_…and never once experienced the taste of _fire_," he said as he began to drag the molten-hot metal across Erik's shoulder blades.

It hurt. Of course, it hurt. The pain was nearly blinding…but it didn't hurt anywhere near as bad as the stab of guilt he felt for the look of horror on Eric's face.

_Charles…hurry…__**please hurry.**_

XxX

(A/N) Just so you all can sleep a little easier this week, no, this story isn't going to end like the last one did.


	10. Songs of Experience

(A/N) Well, seeing as how I've clearly tortured you all enough…

**A Song of Steel and Fire**

_Chapter 10: Songs of Experience_

The flight to Alkali Lake was deathly silent, each member of the team worried over some aspect of the mission or another. Charles' thoughts were only for his two boys, while Pele and Hank were both supremely concerned for his sanity. Mystique's thoughts were back in Westchester with Destiny, who was slipping into the overdue period. Artemis hadn't washed the blood from her body before suiting up. It was the first time she'd worn the uniform since being fitted for it. Her thoughts were focused on Azazel with a powerful thirst for his blood…and Alex's concern was only for her. Sean, last of all, was starting to worry that everyone else was just going to go stark raving on him.

"You really should have just left it to us," Hank finally said as they closed in on their target.

"You couldn't have stopped me and you know it," Charles said calmly, his gaze fixed straight ahead. He was barely recovered from his ordeals. He shouldn't have removed the bandaging from around his head, but he had done just that, leaving the still fresh injuries bare to the world.

_Yeah, I know…and that's what scares me._

Charles caught some of this thought, as Hank had probably meant him to, but he didn't spare the energy to respond. Erik was close now…very close…and he could feel intense waves of panic flowing from him. He could feel the pain and the horror _he_ felt and he could see the world through his eyes…could see the horror in their son's eyes as Shaw burned him.

_Charles…hurry…__**please hurry.**_

_I'm here, my love. I'm so close. Hold on just a little longer._

Charles was out of his seat before Hank had even properly finished landing the Blackbird. The others were only a little ways behind him, with Hank a little further behind after taking the time to properly lock down the jet.

Charles led the way through the woods toward the lake itself, which was dammed. Skirting the open field before the dam wall, they eventually found their way to a tunnel leading underground.

"Havok, if you wouldn't mind…" Charles said, standing aside to allow the young man a clear shot.

Alex said nothing, just stepped forward, took aim, and fired. If there was anything in the tunnel apart from the large, thick doors at the end of it, it was incinerated, The doors themselves were pretty well demolished. Almost immediately, an alarm began to blare.

"Well," Charles began casually as he led the way down, "if they didn't know we were here before, they certainly do now."

XxX

The downside to having a fully telepath-proof base, Emma was currently discovering, was that even if your telepathic enemy couldn't find _you_, you also couldn't find _him_ if he actually got inside the place. They had all heard the explosion from the torture chamber, but once the group was inside, Emma lost sight of them completely, blocked by the walls of the base.

"A little warning wouldn't go amiss next time, Blindfold," Shaw said, his tone and demeanor seeming casual…but his true anger and frustration channeled into the ferocity with which he drove the latest brand into the small of Erik's back. The metal-kine couldn't help the cry of pain that escaped, but it came with a smile on his face.

"Come off it. It's not like you didn't want him here."

"I would have liked a _little_ more time, though," he commented, digging the brand in deeper before finally removing it and going to replace it in the oven. Before retrieving another, he went to the table where a few unheated instruments still remained. Beside them sat the helmet, which he'd kept there all week. Sighing, he placed it back on his head. "Guess it's time for this silly thing to come back on."

"So what do you want to do?" Emma asked as the older mutant went for another red-hot knife.

"Leave me alone with them," he said nodding at Erik and the youngest Xavier. "Stop the others in whatever way you can. Only Charles must reach us here. I would prefer this final scene to take place with just the four of us."

As the other three disappeared to do his bidding, Erik couldn't help chuckling a little, despite how much pain he was in.

"You see? I _told_ you he'd come."

"There was never any doubt of that. The question _now_ becomes…can I awaken your boy's power before he gets here?"

Once again, Erik's gaze turned to his little boy, who was on his knees now, struggling not to look away. His eyes were red from crying and his face was wet with tears and snot.

"It's going to be all right, Eric. Daddy's coming. He's coming to save us."

"D-Daddy?"

"Ooh…I _seriously_ doubt that."

At this, the sizzle of burning flesh and another cry of pain split the air, and Eric cried just a little harder.

XxX

Charles had only gotten a vague sense of where in the complex Erik and their son might be. Once they actually entered, he was completely shut off from Erik once again.

_I __**might**__ be able to help,_ Pele told him. _These things tend to be laid out very similarly._

"Pele thinks she can help," he informed the others as he forged ahead into a maze of corridors. As Pele had said, the layout was already reminding him of the labyrinth beneath Auschwitz…what he remembered of it, at least. They seemed to be making good time when they found themselves moving through a slightly larger area…a generator room, perhaps…when Artemis suddenly stopped dead in her tracks.

"He's here," she declared with absolute conviction, shoulders hunching slightly as she crouched a little lower.

Spreading out his mind, Charles found she was correct. Azazel had been waiting for them.

"You're taking care of it, yes?" he put the question succinctly to both her and Alex, to which both of them answered in the affirmative. As the group continued on, the two lovers moved to stand back to back, awaiting their opponent's attack.

First, he tried to disorient them by using the typical 'approach from different sides' tactic, but standing back to back, they were pretty well covered in that arena. When the teleporter dodged one of Alex's shots, the stray blast hit one of the generators and the lights went dark for several moments before a backup system kicked in, leaving them in an eerie half-light.

In the confusing moments when the backup lights were flickering on, Azazel appeared directly in front of Alex, sword drawn. He had mere seconds to see what was happening and to act. Feeling Artemis directly behind him, he pushed his hands back, shoving her clear. His cry of pain split the air as she hit the floor.

Artemis rolled onto her back, looking up to see Alex's shoulder impaled on Azazel's blade. With a shriek of rage, she leapt to her feet, focusing her power on the sword. When Azazel moved to pull it free, he found it cemented in place. Somewhere in her head, she heard a voice that sounded very much like Hank insisting she mustn't let the sword be pulled out.

Realizing her intentions, Azazel smirked at her, then whipped out his tail and wrapped it securely around Alex's throat, threatening to break his neck.

Artemis stood stark still, terrified that any movement might actually cause him to do it. Taking a moment to survey her enemy, she could see he was unsteady on his feet. The outline of a brace was visible just beneath his pant leg. Firestorm had probably broken something in her last act of defiance. The only reason he could probably fight them now was that he relied on his mutation so much to move around. The point being, though, that his attention was surely divided by pain. Perhaps there _was_ a way to win this. She would have to be very specific about where she attacked, though. If she went for his heart and she didn't crush it fast enough, he would kill Alex.

"Stand down, girl…or I will kill the boy," he threatened, tightening his grip a little. Alex gave a small groan of pain.

"No…no, Rose. You have to…fight 'im," Alex choked out.

"No," she said to Azazel, her eyes sick with anger, but also piercing with focus. "You won't take him from me. Not him, too."

"And just what are you going to do about it, little wolf child?"

Rather than answer, Artemis focused her power on the place where Azazel's tail joined his body, her face twisting into a sneer as she tore with all her might. Before Azazel could even blink, his tail was ripped clean away from his body. Screaming in agony, he stumbled back, collapsing from the combination of his injured leg and the sudden lack of a tail to support him.

As Alex tumbled forward, Artemis swooped in to catch him, allowing her own weight to cushion his fall. Once she had him, she quickly unwrapped the now harmless limb from around his neck.

"It's okay. It's okay. I've got you."

"I will not forget this, _wolf child!_" Azazel snarled at her…and as she looked back at him, lying practically helpless on the floor, it wasn't so much the threat and the anger that got to her as it was the pain he couldn't quite manage to conceal. That was the impression she was left with when he finally vanished.

For a moment, she just sat there, staring at the tail and the smears of blood in shocked silence. It was the sound of Alex gasping for breath that drew her back to reality.

"Can you stand?" she asked tentatively.

"Maybe…if you help me. Breathing…kinda hurts," he admitted.

"Don't worry," she soothed as she helped him to his feet. "It's going to be all right. I'm going to get you back to the Blackbird. Then I'm going to find Hank. You're going to make it, Alex," she said, just as much for herself as for him.

XxX

The next obstacle the group came up against was Blindfold, who appeared almost as much from nowhere as Azazel was fond of doing.

"This one's mine," Mystique said decisively as she moved forward, waving the others on.

"You _know_ you can't fight me," the blind mutant said as they slowly began to circle each other. "I can foresee any move you could make. Just what do you hope to accomplish?"

"Well, let's _talk_," Mystique said harshly. "What's going on between you and Destiny?"

"Ahah, jealous, are you?" she asked with a small laugh.

"What happened that day?"

"We are something that no one else can ever be for the other…a _surprise_. Perhaps Irene _does_ love you, but you can _never_ surprise her. She knows all the days of your life…every possible twist your journey might take. How does that make you _feel_, Raven?"

"She didn't ask for it. _None_ of us asked for it. I've no right to hold it against her. She still…needs me."

Blindfold shook her head. "Keep telling yourself that."

"You were…talking about Kurt that day…weren't you. What's going to happen?"

"Well, that just wouldn't be very sporting of me, now would it. Are you really going to go behind your beloved's back like this?"

At this, Mystique sprang at the younger woman, seizing her by her throat and lifting her up in the air.

"I _swear_…if any of you…_any_ of you hurt my son, I'll make you wish you were never born," she snarled at her, bringing her in close to her face.

"Oh, Raven…I don't need your help for that," she said cryptically, her voice only slightly altered by mystique's grip as she reached a hand down to stroke her cheek. "But no harm will come to your son. That's all you need to know. I could never harm him. He's like my _own_ son, after all."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Mystique hissed, squeezing a little tighter.

"You will understand someday…but in the meantime, there seems to be a hole in the fabric of reality approaching our present location."

For a moment, Mystique was confused…but then she began to understand, turning just in time to see Destiny enter the corridor.

"What are you _doing_ here? You were supposed to stay back in Westchester. What if-"

Before Mystique could even begin to get angry or afraid, she collapsed to the floor, dead asleep. Blindfold slipped easily to her feet in the process.

"Was that really necessary?"

"Well, you _wanted_ to speak with me, didn't you? Where's the fun in her hearing everything? Though…you really are starting to pop over there, aren't you."

Destiny groaned inwardly. She knew Blindfold couldn't possibly know that. She couldn't see her…and by that same token, she couldn't see Kurt yet, either. All she knew was that after tonight, Kurt would come into existence. The events of this night weren't perfectly clear to her, either. It was how she had known to sneak aboard the Blackbird. The lack of clarity told her one thing: she was to meet with Blindfold tonight…and here they were. The younger precog was right about the popping thing, though. Having delivered two children already, she knew the difference between false contractions and real ones. The real ones had begun about an hour into the flight. It wouldn't be long now before things began in earnest.

"That's my own business."

"Is there any such thing as 'your own' business, Irene? Our business is the _world_, after all…and that child _is_ my business."

"You see?" Destiny pointed out. "Even _you_ don't believe we're both completely dead. You claimed something as being 'your' business, too."

Blindfold sighed. "For a time, anyway. Perhaps we can skirt fate for a while…but some things are ultimately fixed. None of us have the power to fight with destiny."

"I don't believe that. I want…to change things."

"Yes, I know. You want to believe that _anything_ can be changed…like you tried to do when you attempted to prevent the baby telepath's death. I should think you would have learned your lesson after that. You _know_ what she would have become had she lived."

"I do."

"_She_ would have become the black queen of the Hellfire Club in her father's place. Sebastian would have come to possess her and he would have molded her into a weapon greater than either Erik Lehnsherr _or_ Charles Xavier."

"Yes…the Midnight Queen…the death of her parents."

"That would have been Raine Xavier's destiny. Fate keeps the balance; it didn't see fit to let such a darkness be born…yet you still tried to overturn that decision."

"You wouldn't understand. Who's to say her destiny couldn't have been changed?"

"_We_ are. You saw it. No matter what route that child could have taken through her life…they all led to the same place…to the Midnight Queen."

"That doesn't matter. We all still loved her. She was still our little girl."

"But you still couldn't change any of it," Blindfold pointed out. "Your love couldn't prevent her death."

"Maybe it could have…if I'd tried sooner."

"Perhaps. _I_ don't think so, but perhaps."

"Really? Because it seems to me you've done a few things to alter the events of tonight."

"Tonight's events _are_ alterable…so I said a few things, did something earlier than might have been intended. After all, it would be such a waste to see him die too soon."

"And it wasn't a waste for _her_ to die?"

"It's like I told you that first day. _We_ are the only ones who can make these decisions."

Destiny was about to say more when another contraction seized her. As she leaned heavily against the wall, her face contorting in pain, she felt something warm and wet begin to trickle down her leg.

"Damn it."

"Water's broken, then? It won't be long now, I suppose. Much as I'd love to stick around for this, I believe Azazel's in need of some assistance. Good luck," she said casually, turning to walk away down the corridor. They had not gotten close enough to each other this time to go completely blind.

Once she heard a door close at the far end of the hallway, she sent Mystique a gentle command to wake up, even though she was feeling _anything_ but gentle at the moment.

Mystique woke easily enough, blinking several times before her eyes focused in on Destiny.

"Where's Blindfold?"

"Gone."

"Why did you come?"

"Because I needed to speak to her. I _had_ to know what would happen."

"Heh, can't go five minutes without knowing the whole truth anymore?" she asked as she sat up, her laughter slightly bitter.

Before she could respond, she hissed in pain, another contraction seizing her body.

"Oh," Mystique began slowly, her voice growing thick with worry. "Oh, no. It's starting now, isn't it."

"It's been coming on all day."

"And of course you didn't say anything," Mystique said as she got to her feet, moving in to allow her lover to lean on her.

"Didn't want you to worry."

"As usual," the shape shifter said with a sigh, beginning to lead the way out. "The others can handle themselves. I'm going to get you back to the jet. They _are_ going to be okay…right?" she asked, glancing sideways at the older woman.

"I couldn't…I don't know. I can't see things clearly tonight…because Blindfold's here. I…I _think_ they'll be okay…if I'm interpreting what she said correctly. Raven…I don't know what's going to happen tonight. I just know I don't want Kurt to be born in _this_ place," she hissed as another contraction squeezed her abdomen.

"Don't worry. That's not going to happen," Mystique soothed as she moved steadily forward. "I'm getting you out of here."

XxX

Charles could honestly say he wasn't surprised when he and the boys ran into Emma not long after leaving Mystique with Blindfold.

"You guys go ahead. I got this," Sean said, sounding cockier than he had any right to be when face to face with Emma Frost.

"I don't think so," Emma said, turning her gaze to Charles. "Only _you_ are going on past this point."

_What you seek is just down this corridor and to the left, the first door on the right._

"No way," Hank argued, turning to Charles. "There is absolutely _no way_ I'm letting you walk into that on your own."

"Now, Beast, don't forget," Charles began, not taking his eyes away from Emma, "I'm not alone."

Tilting her head curiously to the side, Emma took the opportunity to take a peek inside Charles' head, catching a brief glimpse of Pele.

"Oh…that _is_ impressive," she said as she shifted into diamond form. "But we really can't have that."

That was the only warning they received before Emma tore into Charles' mind. He tried to push her back, but there wasn't a lot he could do against the diamond shield…and it wasn't even _him_ she was after. He could feel Pele's pain as she was torn from his mind. He could have tried to hold onto her, but that probably would have done more harm than good in the end.

"What did you do to her?" Charles asked calmly, knowing he definitely couldn't afford to get angry right now.

"Put her back where she belongs. She's waking up in her own head right now. I _said_ alone, didn't I? I _meant_ it."

"Charles…no," Hank said as his mentor slowly turned to look at him. "What happens if you can't control it?"

"I have to. This is the only way."

_I can do this…for __**them.**__ I __**have**__ to do this._

Looking torn for several minutes, Hank finally nodded. "Please…be careful. Don't lose it in there. They need you."

The '_we_ need you' in the statement was unsaid, but still understood.

Nodding, Charles moved past Emma, running silently down the hallway.

"Well, this could get interesting," Sean said as he and Hank moved into position to take on Emma.

"Sugar, you've got no idea."

XxX

Erik's hopes had been high when he'd heard the explosion, but they were fading quickly. The emergency lights didn't help when they flicked on. They made the whole thing look like a scene straight out of Hell.

At first, it was just brands and stabs, pain he was mostly familiar with, and he could keep the outward signs of pain to a minimum…but then Shaw wrapped an arm around his limp body, pulling him harshly against his own. Erik hissed in pain as his injuries ground against Shaw's unfeeling body.

"This isn't working. I think we might need to change tactics."

Erik couldn't look around to see what was happening, but he really didn't need to when a red-hot blade was laid over his eyelid and pressed down hard.

He couldn't stop himself from screaming this time. As he involuntarily attempted to twist away from the knife, he only caused it to slice the lid open. Even though the fiery brand cauterized the cut quickly, the vision of his left eye was still drowned in blood.

"PAPA!" Eric screamed.

"It…it's…all right…Eric. Alles…ist gut. Papa's going to be…fine," he choked out, even though he _knew_ Eric could see the lie of it.

"_Stop!_" Eric cried. "Please! Please stop! Don't hurt – my papa!"

Shaking his head, Shaw went to grab Eric, pulling him harshly to his feet and dragging him around to look at the wounds on his father's back.

"Leave…leave him alone," Erik mumbled, struggling weakly against his bonds.

"You can stop this anytime you want to, Eric. I _know_ you have the power. All you need to do is…embrace it," he said, emphasizing the words with a slash across the back of Erik's lower legs…not deep enough to cut the tendons, but enough to leave a mark. The metal-kine cringed in pain.

"What do you say? Are you going to let me keep hurting your papa?"

"Mister Shaw…I don't know what to do!" Eric sobbed helplessly. "What do you want me to _do?_ I'll do anything!"

"Then show me your power," Shaw said quietly, his voice beginning to sound a little bit manic as he went to retrieve one last tool from the oven…what looked to be a large metal bar. He approached his victim slowly, positioning the bar carefully, and locking his eyes onto Eric's as he revealed just what it was for.

Erik outright shrieked as Shaw tore into him from behind. This was a thousand times worse than anything that had come before. He could feel his body tearing around the intruder…feel his insides searing with pain as Shaw twisted and thrust. Eric screamed in horror right along with him. When Shaw finally withdrew and he felt blood beginning to trickle down his thighs, he could almost swear he felt something inside of him breaking.

"Charles…where are you?" he whispered, no longer able to keep up the brave front. He had been reduced to something broken…a shattered man who only wanted the comfort of the man he loved. "We need you."

Shaw stared down at Eric for several minutes, trembling on the floor. Still nothing. What more could he possibly do to-

"Oh," he murmured, a light coming on in his head. "I think I know what to do for you, mein kleinen Eric."

With that, he twisted Erik around on his chains, bringing him to face his son. Then he pressed his lips to his creation's neck, biting down harshly on the abused skin. As Eric's eyes grew even more horrified, he slipped a hand between his legs…and began to stroke him.

Seeing this triggered something in the little boy. He remembered how sick and horrible this had made _him_ feel…how it haunted his nightmares. He couldn't let the same thing happen to Papa. He just _couldn't_. It was at this that he felt something begin to stir beneath his skin.

"Stop it," he ordered, his voice feeling different in his throat. "You're not going to hurt Papa anymore."

"Yes," Shaw breathed tremulously, triumph lighting up his face as he watched the anger flare to life in the child's eyes.

"No," Erik whispered in despair when he saw his son's eyes go red. This couldn't happen now. It just _couldn't._ "Eric…_no_…"

"You're too late," Shaw whispered viciously in his ear. "You're _too late._"

Eric could feel something burning inside…boiling…ready to explode out from his skin. It was close now…so close…

"_NO!_"

As the voice sounded in his ears, Eric suddenly found himself tackled to the ground, held tightly in someone's arms.

"No, Eric…no…not like this," the familiar voice murmured in his ear. "Come back to me. Daddy's right here. Daddy's here to protect you, darling."

"D-Daddy?" he whispered, the tears beginning to flow again as he wrapped his arms tightly around his father and buried his face in his chest. Almost immediately, he felt the boiling in his skin begin to dissipate. Daddy had come at last. Everything would be all right now. He would stop the bad man from hurting Papa.

"Shh, shh," Charles soothed him as he held him close. "It's all right now. Everything's going to be all right. Oh, my boy…my baby boy," he said softly as he kissed the top of his head.

The others all watched the scene with decidedly mixed feelings. Erik watched with a relieved smile. He wasn't sure because of the burns, but he almost thought he could feel tears on his face. Shaw watched with uncertainty…uncertainty bordering on anger. Azazel and Blindfold appeared in the room not long after Charles, Azazel back on the crutch and with a new set of bandages.

"Well?" Shaw asked anxiously.

Blindfold surveyed the two, ultimately shaking her head. "He interrupted the process. The awakening has failed."

For a moment, Shaw looked absolutely livid…but then he somehow managed to swallow that anger and regain his composure. He gave his neck a swift crack and shook his shoulders. "Well, I know when I'm beaten. I suppose I ought to just bow out gracefully."

Charles felt a brief lick of anger flare up at this, but he didn't let Eric see it. Pressing a kiss to his forehead, he whispered to him, "Go to sleep, pumpkin. You'll be back in your own bed when you wake up."

Eric was already exhausted well past endurance. As such, he hardly noticed the psychic command. He placed his thumb securely in his mouth and fell into a deep sleep, sucking fitfully on the digit as he slept.

That done, Charles got to his feet, keeping himself solidly between Eric and Shaw. "That's it? After all that…that's _all_ you're going to _say?_"

"Yes. Blindfold told me, in no uncertain terms, that if little Eric's mutation failed to manifest tonight, I would lose. Seeing what happened to him would have called out Onslaught once and for all…but you seem fairly well in control of yourself right now, wouldn't you say?"

Charles looked inward…and found he couldn't help but agree. While he did feel whispers of his anger beneath the surface, it was kept in check by the absolute certainty that Eric needed his daddy, and Erik needed Charles, not Onslaught. They both needed _Charles_ right now, so that was what he would give them. He simply couldn't afford to selfishly indulge his own rage.

"I'll let you pick up the pieces for now, Charles, but you should know that next time…next time I won't let it go so easily."

"You will never _touch_ them again," Charles spat at him.

"You misunderstand me. I wasn't talking about your son. His power is for someone else now. I was talking about _you_. One day you will be _mine_, Charles…one day. _That_ is your fate," Shaw warned him, keeping eye contact with him as he backed slowly out of the cell, Blindfold and Azazel right behind him.

"I won't give in to you," Charles hissed at him just before he closed the door.

_I won't give in. I won't give in,_ he repeated to himself several times, controlling his breathing and keeping his heart rate in check. When he was finally ready, he turned to face Erik. He'd avoided doing so throughout the confrontation, knowing that the sight of him would undoubtedly cause him to lose his inner battle with Onslaught…and indeed, he felt his rage flare up again when he saw how badly injured his lover was.

"It's…all right," Erik croaked, his voice hoarse from screaming. "Just stay calm. I've…probably looked worse."

"I…I seriously doubt that, darling," Charles said, smiling sadly as he felt tears gathering in his eyes.

"You're…later…than I would have liked," Erik teased as Charles drew closer to him. "What happened? Traffic that bad?"

Charles laughed, feeling the tears begin to fall as he worked to unlock Erik's chains. When he was finally free, he helped him gently to the floor, guiding him to rest on his knees while Charles held him in his arms.

"Don't worry about this. This is nothing," Erik said as Charles stroked his hair. "It'll heal. I'm more worried…about what it did to _him_," he said, nodding toward their sleeping child.

"He'll be fine," Charles soothed. "It'll take time…but we'll get through this…together."

Sighing, Erik rested his head against Charles' shoulder, nestling as close to him as he possibly could.

"I…I _knew_ you'd come…mein Schatz…I _knew_ it," he mumbled against his neck. Charles could almost swear he felt something inside him break at how feeble Erik's voice sounded.

For a long while, the two of them just knelt there, holding each other…perhaps crying, though neither would quite admit to it.

XxX

(A/N) And…one more chapter for this one, I think.


	11. A NeverEnding Song

**A Song of Steel and Fire**

_Chapter 11: A Never-Ending Song_

Once Charles was able to pull himself away from Erik, the first thing he did was to toss the cell for his clothing, which he found easily enough…along with the necklace Shaw had taken from him. Erik gave him a weary smile when he placed the pendant back around his neck. Briefly touching his own pendant to Erik's, he helped him back into the uniform, being very careful of his injuries.

"I'm coming right back," he said, pressing a kiss to Erik's lips. "Don't go anywhere," he said as he headed for the door, more out of a fear of letting the metal-kine out of his sight than actually thinking he was capable of movement.

"I won't go far," Erik mumbled, offering Charles a wry smile before he disappeared back into the corridor.

Charles sprinted back to where he'd left Hank and Sean, finding them both sprawled out on the hallway floor. Hank had managed to land supported by the wall, but Sean was laid out flat, staring hazily up at the ceiling and singing rather loudly.

"It's a small world after all…it's a small world after all…it's a small world after all…it's a smaaaall, smaaaaall world…"

"Yeah, could you tweak him a bit," Hank requested, sounding a little loopy. "I dunno what Frost did to him, but he's been singing that for, like, ten minutes."

Venturing inside Sean's mind, Charles was relieved to find Emma had only put him on a high…no permanent damage.

"You should see the other guy, though," Hank recounted as Charles put Sean's head to rights. "It was incredible. He unleashed this major supersonic wave on her. She had to do whatever she did just to stop him. He really messed her up…even the diamond form couldn't stop it. Shaw had to carry her out when they came through."

"Can you stand?" Charles asked him as Sean sat up. "I need help. I can't carry them both."

"Oh, me? Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just a little dizzy still," he said, getting unsteadily to his feet.

"I can help," Sean said, a bit more steady as he also stood. "_Damn_, that was a good hit."

"I'm sure it was. Now come on," Charles said, taking off down the corridor once again. Hank was a little slower, but they eventually made it back to the cell. Erik hadn't moved an inch, still kneeling precariously where Charles had left him.

While Charles lifted Erik to his feet, allowing him to lean on him and supporting most of his weight, Sean went to pick up the sleeping four-year-old, cradling him securely in his arms.

"Come on, kiddo, let's get ya home," he said as he went to join the other men.

The going was slow, and none of them were particularly comforted by the fact that the only signs of battle they could find were smears of blood and Azazel's severed tail in the generator room. Was the blood only from Azazel…or from one of the others, as well? When they finally emerged from the base, Charles sent his mind straight back to the Blackbird.

_Pele? Pele, are you there? Are you all right?_

_I'm here. I'm fine. The others are here with me, but…_

…_but what?_

_Alex is hurt…and Destiny followed us here. Her water's broken. Did…did you find them?_

_We've got them. We're coming to you. Just hold on._

XxX

When Emma had torn Pele from Charles' mind, she hadn't so much put her back where she belonged as simply cut her loose to find her own way. When she'd initially transferred herself into Charles' mind, the transition hadn't been nearly as jarring because their physical bodies had been in such close proximity. That wasn't the case this time. Her body was back on the Blackbird, brought along in case of incident. Every moment she was a consciousness without a physical form was like being torn in a million different directions all at once. Probably the only reason she'd survived it at all was because she was a telepath. When she'd come back to herself aboard the jet, she'd lain very still for several long minutes, struggling to regain the scattered pieces of her sanity. Recovered from that, it wasn't the pain she begrudged Charles, but the fear that he'd _intentionally_ given her away…that he'd _wanted_ to be separated from her….but she couldn't know that until she actually spoke to him again. There was no way she'd be able to get to him in time. Charles had been only a hallway away from his family when she'd been cut loose. Whatever would happen would happen. All she could do was wait.

It wasn't long after her awakening that Artemis and Alex returned to the jet, followed soon after by Mystique and Destiny. All any of them could really do for Alex was make sure any blood flow was stanched until Hank returned. The wound was bad, but not necessarily fatal, and Pele suspected that was so because it had been Azazel's intention…not to kill, but to cripple. For Destiny, there was even less they could do. All they could manage was to keep her comfortable. To Pele, it seemed that she held her breath until she heard Charles' voice calling out to her.

"And I've…got more patients," Hank muttered in slight despair upon catching sight of the Blackbird's occupants.

"Go ahead…and take care of Alex," Destiny panted. "I can…handle this."

"Yeah," Erik agreed upon seeing the blade in the young man's shoulder. "That's…pretty serious. These are just…torture wounds…nothing immediately threatening."

Hank got to work right away, pulling out the emergency medical supplies he kept onboard. Instructing Artemis to finally pull the sword out, allowing blood to start flowing, Hank was ready, packing the wound with gauze to stop the flow and quickly stitching it up from both sides before bandaging him up. There wasn't much he could do for Erik right there except give him some painkillers. Even though he was badly burned, the burning had at least cauterized his wounds and stopped any bleeding there had been. The thing they were all most relieved to find was that his eye appeared to be unharmed. It was just the eyelid that was damaged, and it was more than likely salvageable if they returned to Westchester in a timely fashion…which was why Destiny insisted Hank take off instead of helping her, even though she was clearly in pain.

"I've got this," she reassured him. "It'll be another hour and we need to get back. It's not your fault you don't have the right drugs for this. It's my own damn fault."

Knowing there was little point to arguing with her, Hank did as she said, getting the jet into the air and up to altitude before coming back to help her, at which point she was fighting back screams. She had known it would be painful, but as she had learned several times before, there was a difference between knowing something ahead of time and actually experiencing it.

During takeoff, Hank'd had her strapped to a stretcher. He'd tried to get Mystique to take her seat, but she was having none of that. She'd stayed right by her lover the entire time. When Hank was finally able to leave things to autopilot and return to the back of the jet, the baby was already starting to crown. For a while, all the young doctor could see was dark hair, but when he finally began to see skin, he was a little floored.

"Ah…Mystique…you might want to see this."

Going down to stand beside Hank, Mystique could see that the baby's head was starting to emerge, but it obviously wasn't that he'd called her down for. It was the skin.

"Blue," Mystique whispered, unable to keep the smile off her face.

"Just like his mother," Hank said, offering a shy smile of his own.

Even through the pain, Destiny also managed to smile. "You see? I told you…you'd like it."

Feeling like she could cry, Mystique moved back up to Destiny's head, taking her hand in hers and continuing her task of mopping sweat from her brow.

"He really is going to be beautiful."

"Beautiful like you," the precog managed to say before a particularly violent contraction gripped her and she couldn't help but scream, bearing down harshly on Mystique's hand.

"Come on, Destiny, you can do it," Hank coached her. "We're almost there."

Another push and another scream later, their son was finally born, his loud, angry cries filling the fuselage as Hank guided him into the world.

"Well…I was right about the tail," Hank remarked as the baby's little tail followed him out of the womb. As he sobbed disconsolately, he whipped his tail through the air along with the rest of his limbs. Hank had to be careful of it as he worked to cut the umbilical cord. All he could do to wash the little boy off was pull out one of the stored water bottles, but it served. The one thing Destiny had managed to bring along for this was a baby blanket, which Mystique wrapped him in before placing him in Destiny's arms.

"Hello, Kurt," she murmured, feeling a few tears spring to her eyes as she held him close. Even though she'd borne two babies already, there was something different about Kurt…about _knowing_ he was _her_ child.

As Hank took care of cleanup and Destiny lowered the neckline of her top in order to offer Kurt her breast, Mystique came up to where the others were sitting.

"You have a nephew, Charles, and Eric has a cousin."

"Congratulations to both of you. I'm sure Eric will be very excited," the professor said, offering his sister the best smile he was capable of at the moment. He would have gone back to see the little one, but Erik had already fallen fast asleep and was draped over his shoulder. Charles didn't want to disturb the first real sleep he'd had in over two weeks.

"How is he?" Mystique asked her brother, taking in what she could of Erik's injuries. Charles sighed.

"He's not dead. We can at least be grateful for that."

"But he'll heal?"

"Yes. It will take time, but Hank says he'll heal."

"And Eric?" Mystique asked, glancing briefly at her little nephew.

"Physically, he's unharmed…but Shaw…made him watch…what he did to his papa."

"God," Mystique murmured. "Poor kid. Will…will he be all right?"

"I don't know," Charles whispered, not quite looking at her.

"Well…you helped Erik…and Pele and Artemis…and all the others. Hell, you helped _me_ when I needed helping. You can help him, too," she reassured him, giving him a light punch on the shoulder.

"God, I hope so," he said, glancing over at his sleeping son before offering his sister another weak smile.

Slowly, Sean, Artemis, and Alex all went to have a look at the new baby; Alex only briefly, as Artemis insisted he sit back down the moment he showed even a tiny sign of discomfort. While this was going on, Hank returned to the cockpit and allowed Pele to return to her seat. While he'd been helping Destiny, he'd left the young telepath to mind the controls, as she could simply look into his head to know what to do if something should go wrong. With the situation now at least somewhat under control, Pele took her seat across from Charles and Erik, next to where little Eric was strapped in and sleeping.

_You didn't __**need**__ to give the game away,_ she said casually, not looking at Charles so as not to give away their conversation.

_Excuse me?_ He returned, also not looking at her.

_Emma wouldn't have known I was there if you hadn't said anything. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you __**wanted**__ her to get rid of me._

_Maybe I did,_ he said in such a way as to tell her even _he_ didn't quite know what he'd been thinking at the time.

_Why would you do that?_

_I didn't know what she'd do to you-_

_That's not what I'm worried about,_ she cut him off. _That's why we brought my body along…incase of an emergency like that. What __**bothers**__ me is that you took the risk at all. What if something had happened-_

_It didn't._

_But if it had,_ she persisted. _Any one of you could have died. Why would you do it?_

_Because I had to know,_ he half-growled at her.

_Know what?_

_That I was strong enough to do it on my own!_ He shouted, finally turning to look at her with something that was half anger and half grief in his eyes. _I had to know that __**I**__ could rescue them…without relying on him._

_And could you repeat that feat?_ She asked, eying him uncertainly. _That's the real test._

_I don't know,_ he answered after several moments of hesitation, withdrawing slightly. _I could do it this time…because I was so certain they needed __**me**__. They needed __**me**__ to come save them._

_But what happens on the day it's __**him**__ they need?_ She supplied when he was unable to. He nodded.

_It…terrifies me…the things he's done to draw me out. The day may come…when I have no choice._

Sighing, Pele turned away. _Much as I hate to say it, you might be right. At this point, Shaw's not going to be killed by anyone but you…and he will __**never**__ stop hunting you…you and the people you love._

Neither said anything more; there was nothing _to_ say. They simply sat in silence, listening to the sounds of the two new mothers with their newborn.

XxX

Azazel could barely manage to carry the group from Alkali Lake, and when they finally arrived on the _Maharani_, he actually collapsed. Emma was still reeling from Sean's attack, so while Shaw went to lay her down, Blindfold also helped Azazel get to a bed. She knew he was ashamed at having to rely on someone else, but she saw it as a pretty even split, as she had also had to rely on him before.

Just as she was turning to head back above decks, he grabbed her wrist before she could go.

"Ruth…" he groaned, barely conscious from the pain. "You must…tell me. Will I ever…kill her? Rebenok volk?"

Blindfold sighed. "Even if I told you you don't…would you ever really stop hunting her?"

"Net," he whispered before finally slipping into an exhausted sleep.

The young woman lost track of how long she stood there holding the teleporter's hand, watching him sleep. Was she actually…stalling? Her? She knew what was to come wouldn't be pleasant, and here…at his bedside, she felt almost…_peaceful_…even though he was badly injured and she was about to join him.

Shaw was waiting for her when she finally returned above decks, helmet gone and glass in hand.

"I'm almost surprised you came," he said, taking a sip of his drink, "if you _know_ what I'm thinking…"

"If I really wanted to stop you, I could."

"You summoned him early…didn't you."

"I did?"

"Why?"

"Because if Eric's mutation had manifested tonight, his life would have been too short. That power would have drained his body and killed him a long time before he was even twenty. You would have made good use of it in your war against the humans…but not for very long."

"And now someone _else_ will benefit from that power?"

"Well…yes…but not quite in the way _you're_ thinking."

"Then why all this? Why did you tell me this could work?"

"Because after tonight, the boy will be a different person than he would have otherwise been had _you_ not stepped in. I think you'll be pleased with the results."

"And _when_, exactly, will I be pleased with the results?"

"You'll be pleased with the results…when you possess the fairy princess," she said, leaning casually against the bar.

"The fairy – _what?_ What does that _mean_, Blindfold? Why do you feel the need to do that?" he asked, his features slipping briefly into an angry sneer.

"Do allow me my fun, Sebastian. You can't imagine how impossibly dull the world gets when you _know everything_."

"I can't afford to indulge you much longer, you know."

"What are you talking about? Of _course_ you can: one of the upsides of being rich and practically immortal. If you play your cards right, you'll be sipping champagne long after Xavier and Lehnsherr are gone…but…that's not enough for you, is it?" she pressed, moving closer to him.

"Ruth-" he started to warn her.

"Indeed, you hate the humans, but it isn't about them anymore. You don't like it when your toys fight back. If you cannot have Onslaught and Magneto, you'll settle for nothing less than the two of them to die in shame and despair, and to have their descendants chained to your side for eternity….and you could do it, couldn't you, Sebastian Shaw."

"Leave it alone."

"It doesn't matter what your grand scheme _used_ to be. You've become to involved with them. You want to see _them_ suffer…because they defied you. They had the _gall_ to fight back. You would go down in flames _with_ them just to watch them burn. Well, you'll have your wish," she declared before he smashed his fist into her face.

She went down easily, without even the slightest sound, even though it must have been agony. To be hit by Shaw was comparable to getting pummeled by a jackhammer.

"You brought that on yourself, Blindfold. I didn't _want_ to hit you. I'm not a violent mutant."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," the precog replied nonchalantly from her place on the floor. This prompted Shaw to deliver a swift kick to her ribs, which cracked audibly, but even for this, she made no sound.

"How would you feel if I went below and killed Azazel while he's sleeping? I _have_ seen the way he looks at you…_Ruth_."

"I wouldn't feel anything…because I know you won't do it," she answered, her voice unfailingly calm.

"Won't I?"

"No, you won't…because you still need him. You won't kill him unless you find yourself another teleporter…and even then, you can't be sure I'll feel anything if you were to kill him. You don't know if I feel anything at _all_…but I know what _you_ feel…everything you've _ever_ felt. That helmet doesn't protect you from _me_," she said, her voice still strong, even though she lay crippled on the floor.

"Se taire," he ordered in a language he'd refused to utter for decades. "Vous ne savez rien."

"Nothing and everything. I know you still remember…no matter how much you try to convince yourself you've forgotten. If you can't have it, no one else can. Is that it?"

"I'll rip your tongue out, girl, if it will shut you up," he snarled.

"It wouldn't work. You _can't_ silence my mind…not until your drug's perfected, anyway…and you certainly can't wear your ridiculous helmet every minute of every day."

"What will it take to silence you, then?" he asked, crouching beside her.

"Your understanding that I'm here because I _choose_ to be. You haven't understood that up until now. I am _not_ your toy…as others have been. I stand at your side because I _choose_ to."

"That's all you want? Heh, you have it, then," Shaw said, regaining a façade of composure as he stood. "Am I to understand I'm being used?"

"No more than you use anyone else you're associated with. We all have our own ends."

"All right. In that case, unless you plan to control me into doing otherwise, you can drag _yourself_ below. _I'm_ going to bed."

"Heh, I hadn't thought to. I was just going to lay out here and look at the stars."

"Stars you can't see?" the older mutant sneered.

"You can't _imagine_ the things I've seen, Sebastian."

"It's still not the same thing as actually _seeing_," he shot back petulantly as he headed below decks, thinking that perhaps the idea of a precog might have been foolish.

_No…no, it isn't._

XxX

The next afternoon found Artemis sitting with Shadow's daughter in the med ward. The little wolf hadn't moved much since they'd been gone, still exhausted from her surgery, but she seemed to be doing a little better.

Artemis smiled bitterly as she ran her fingers through her little niece's black fur. She really was her father's daughter…and would almost certainly be the spitting image of him when she was grown. It would be painful…but at the same time wonderful to know that a piece of her magnificent brother still lived in the world.

She had changed out of the uniform, but she still hadn't bathed. She still wore the blood of her slaughtered family. That was how Alex and Eric found her when they entered the ward.

"How…how is she?" she heard Eric's small voice asking.

"Shouldn't the two of you be resting?" she returned, not looking at them.

"He wanted to see her," Alex explained as the two of them came to stand beside her. She sensed another presence on the other side of the door, but knew better than to call Charles out. She could certainly understand him not wanting to let Eric out of his sight.

"She'll be all right. She'll get better," Artemis said as she helped Eric climb up onto the table where his adopted sister lay. Whining plaintively, she nuzzled his small hand. He whined back as he lay down beside her.

"What's going to happen to her?" Alex asked, resting his hands on Artemis' shoulders.

"She's going to stay here. I've spoken to Charles. I can't take her to another pack. She isn't old enough. She has nothing to offer but another mouth to feed. The pack only took _me_ in when they did because I could fend for myself, even though I was so young."

"So…she's gonna live with us?" Eric asked, a tiny, hopeful smile lighting his face.

"Something like that, yes," Artemis answered with a small smile of her own.

"How's this going to work? I mean…the new school year starts soon," Alex reminded her.

"I'm going to take a semester off to teach her to hunt. She's old enough to learn, and the estate's huge. There's bound to be enough game to support at least one wolf. After that, she should be able to take care of herself until I finish school. I do only have three semesters left."

"Did she earn her name yet?" Eric asked, cuddling up as close as he could while still being careful of her injuries.

"Yes…yes, I think she did. Shadow Tracker and Firestorm's last pup is called Last Summer Rose."

"That…that's a long name…"

"Well…my wolf name is The Hunter Who Cannot Fail. Shadow always called me Hunter. Alex's wolf name is Like the Lightning, shortened to Lightning."

"What about me? Do _I_ have a wolf name?" he asked, looking eager.

For a moment, Artemis seriously considered not telling him. Charles had given them all a small briefing on what had occurred at Alkali Lake, and Shadow's name for the little boy still sent chills down her spine. At the same time, though, she realized she couldn't treat him like a child anymore…not after what he'd lived through. He deserved to hear the name his adoptive father had bestowed on him. In some unexpected way, he and Alex had become part of her wolf family…and the four of them here in this room were all that remained of that. Eric deserved to have that part of his identity…even if it was dangerous.

"Ember," she said softly. "The name Shadow gave you is Ember."

"What's that mean?" he asked, staring at her wide-eyed.

"An ember…is a tiny spark…a baby flame that can become a fire. Shadow saw that in you," she explained, reaching down to ruffle his hair.

"But…isn't fire bad?" he asked, his lower lip beginning to tremble.

"No…not always…not if it's under control. Then it's warmth and comfort…and it sustains life. It can burn away what's bad and save what's good. It all depends on how you choose to use it."

"Oh," he murmured, seeming spellbound by this.

"After all…did Firestorm seem bad to you?" she asked him, to which he quickly shook his head.

"Do we…always have to use the full name?" he asked.

"No. We can always call her Summer for short."

"Summer," Alex said, snickering quietly. "Guess she really is part of the family." Summer and Rose…the two of them together…family. It was different from the way all of them at the mansion were family…different from the way he and Haley were family, even. It was more like the way Charles and Erik were family…Destiny and Mystique…Elsie and Alistair. Recently, he'd found he wasn't so bothered by Artemis speaking of them as mates. It was true, after all. He really did feel they would be together for life. Maybe someday he might even do something as crazy as marry her…and the name she'd given the little wolf seemed to carry that wish, as well.

After a time, the two little ones fell asleep, curled up together. As they watched them sleep, Alex slowly wrapped his arms around Artemis' shoulders and she leaned gratefully into the embrace.

"Are you all right?"

"No," she answered after several long minutes. "I'm not. I hate him. I still hate him…he killed my family. I might _always_ hate him…but…I can't forget the pain I saw in his eyes when I tore his tail off. I can't…forget what I did. What if there's…someone who cares about him? Would I…be no better than him…if I did the same thing?" she struggled to explain, fresh tears pouring silently down her face.

Alex didn't have an answer for her. They both knew she had it in her to kill, but this was different. There was no answer to be had, so Alex just held her while she cried, gently kissing her tears away when she had no more to give. And, interestingly enough, Artemis found that she felt a little bit better after allowing herself to cry.

XxX

It took several weeks for Erik's burns to heal…to fade until they joined the army of old scar tissue that already adorned his body. Hank was able to save his eyelid but he was in eye-patch for about that long, as well. It also took that same amount of time for the drugs that had wreaked havoc on his system to be purged…especially whatever drug Shaw had used to suppress his mutation, as that was the one he'd had him on the longest.

For Erik, it was like learning to walk all over again. Things that had been simple before became the hardest of tasks. In the first few days, he was still completely helpless, but as the drug's effect slowly began to wear off, he could do small things, like move small pieces of metal, even though he couldn't handle them with quite as much dexterity as he used to. Until he regained full use of his power, he was banned from using it in the kitchen.

He also didn't display quite the same level of power as he had before the ordeal. One day, he slipped outside before Charles was awake and tried to move the satellite dish again…but found he couldn't do it. When Charles half-panicked upon waking alone, Erik assured him he was all right, but no one could find him the rest of that day. Once the drug had been completely purged, Hank ultimately diagnosed his problem as being a mental one.

Erik's backside also remained sore after the abuse it had taken, but this was something he could hardly admit to himself, much less to Charles and Hank. He almost hadn't let the young doctor treat those injuries, severe as they were, but Charles had managed to calm him enough to allow Hank to work.

It was about a month after Alkali Lake that Erik's frustrations came to a head…quite literally. One night, after Charles had put Eric to bed…he was only just beginning to be able to sleep the night in his own bed…Erik pounced on him, pinning him to the door with a kiss almost the moment he'd closed it.

Charles, while being a little surprised, certainly had no objections. He allowed Erik to take the lead, moving them toward the bed in a frenzy of kisses and touches.

In the years since their first time, Charles' old wooden bed frame had been replaced with a metal one…a masterpiece of iron leaves, tendrils, and vine work that Erik made good use of in their sex life. As they feverishly stripped each other, Charles found himself worrying about what might happen if Erik tried to use the frame, but his fears were briefly assuaged when he felt two metal tendrils curl around his arms and pull him gently back against the grill work that was the head board, holding him in place. It seemed Erik was having a good day.

Charles shuddered in pleasure as he felt the shifting metal grow warm against his skin. With the way Erik was manipulating it, it always felt like being held by ropes of warm liquid. Each tendril moved his limbs about as Erik directed, allowing him to touch and kiss as he liked. As one of the vines was moving forward to bring Charles' head to him for a kiss, the frame suddenly froze solid, instantly going cold.

Briefly, a look of panic flashed in Erik's eyes and Charles could see him strain to control the metal, but it remained cold…unresponsive to his touch.

_Come on, come on, comeon, comeon,comeon,_ Charles heard his lover's desperate urging in his head.

"Erik?"

_**Come on!**_

"It's okay, Erik," he said softly, wanting very badly to reach out and hold him, but unable to.

Finally giving up, Erik collapsed against him, burying his face in his shoulder.

"It's okay. It's okay," he whispered over and over again, feeling his shoulder grow wet with silent tears as he gently nuzzled the top of Erik's head. He knew he'd probably been foolish for even allowing Erik to try this, for fear something like this might happen, but it had happened and there was no changing it.

There was no way to know how long they lay like that, Charles awkwardly restrained by the metal frame and Erik unable to do anything about it. Finally, Charles kissed the top of his head before murmuring soothingly, "Don't cry. You can do it."

Shaking his head, still keeping his face hidden from the younger mutant, Erik drew several deep breaths, making sure his voice would be mostly steady before he said anything.

"This…this shouldn't be so hard. I'm not a _child!_"

"Of course you're not. You're a man…but you're mortal like the rest of us and you've been hurt. It's like you told me six years ago…you have to give yourself time to heal. You haven't truly been without your power since…since losing your mother…and you're so afraid of being that helpless again you just…block yourself. You've forgotten serenity, my love."

"What?" Erik asked, finally looking up at him again, his face composed save for the startling redness of his eyes.

"Remember what I told you? True focus lies at the point between rage and serenity. You just need to find your balance again."

"I don't…know if I _can_ face the rage right now," he answered honestly.

"That's all right. You don't have to do it tonight…but I would rather like out of this," Charles said, trying to keep the situation light as he struggled fruitlessly against the iron. "Might you…try for a little serenity?"

Nodding, Erik took several more deep breaths before finding a safe place in his memories…a place where Charles was sitting in bed with Eric, reading him a book.

_You are safe here…__**they**__ are safe here…no one can hurt them._

Focusing on this calming image, Erik slowly regained his grip on the metal, releasing Charles from his bindings and pressing the frame back into place. It wasn't the best job he'd ever done, but it would serve for the moment. Finally free, Charles quickly took Erik in his arms and they lay down together, no longer touching or kissing, simply holding each other.

"Don't be afraid," Charles soothed him. "It'll be all right."

"And what if it's _not?_" he whispered, unable to stop himself.

"Then I'll still love you. Eric and I will _both_ still love you. I will _always_ love you…no matter what happens…with or without your powers. Nothing will change that. _Nothing._ Do you hear me, Erik Lehnsherr?" he asked, fiercely capturing his gaze.

"I hear you, but…what if I can't protect the two of you? Shaw…or Onslaught…"

"If Onslaught pushes to the surface again, it won't be your power that saves me. It will be your love. It's been what's saved me every time before now…and it will continue to do so. Do you still love me, Erik? Do you love our son?"

"More than anything," he answered right away, reaching out to stroke Charles' hair.

"Then you _will_ regain your confidence…and your power. You just need time. This was probably a little too much precision work so soon, but you shouldn't worry. Before you know it, you'll have me tied up and begging for mercy again, just like you used to," he reassured him, kissing the tip of his nose. Erik gave a slightly bitter chuckle at this, but he still managed a smile.

"Someday. Will it always be _someday_ for us? Can't it ever be _now?_"

_It __**will**__ be_, Charles offered the thought directly to his mind with a strange kind of fierceness. _The next time will be different. I promise you._

_How will it?_

_I think…next time…really does have to be the last. We have to put an end to this, one way or another…for all our sakes._

_But you won't…lose yourself doing that…will you?_

_I'll do my best._

"Charles," Erik began, his voice firm again as he gripped the telepath's shoulders. "_Promise me_ you won't lose yourself to him. He isn't worth that kind of price."

"As I said, I'll do my best…but it may well be the only way I _can_ stop him. I may not have a choice. In the meantime, though, what I _can_ do is learn to control that part of myself. I've been remiss on that these past few years…what with Eric and the school. We've both got training to do…you and I."

"Then we'll do it together," Erik said, pressing his lips to Charles' in order to seal that promise.

_I wouldn't have it any other way._

XxX

(A/N) Translations: Rebenok volk – wolf child, Se taire – be silent, Vous ne savez rien – you know nothing.

I know a lot of you were hoping Shaw would be defeated by this point, but I'm sad to say we just haven't gotten there yet. I hope his little breakdown with Blindfold was enough to satiate for the moment, as the next story won't quite be the final confrontation. There're still a few years to go before that happens, and the next story will be formatted more like the last one, only this next one will have even less of a defined single plot. There are just several things that need to happen between now and then that are significant, just not quite large enough to be their own story, so it will be kind of like a collection of one shots. Don't worry, I'll be giving everyone a break. I don't think this next installment will be quite as heavy on the heartbreak. We'll get to see more healing, fluff, family, and becoming stronger. Hope you're not too disappointed.

Well, for anyone still reading, hope to see you in the next installment, Tales From Westchester. Until then, stay classy.


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